


Swapping Goggles For Shin Guards

by MCUthere



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Back of the Net - AU, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Michelle is a sporty nerd, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Nerd Peter Parker, No Beta, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Parker-centric, Peter is an honorary Stark, Peter-centric, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, flash is a friend, it's an AU for a reason, wild i know but trust me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24550960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCUthere/pseuds/MCUthere
Summary: Peter had been looking forward to his six weeks of studying at sea. However, after getting on the wrong bus, he ends up at a soccer academy. Now, with not many options left, Peter is forced to stay, play soccer, and make a few friends along the way.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Abe, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted on here. This is my first MCU fic, so be easy on me. If anyone has seen Disney Channel's Back of the Net, this story is based on it. If you haven't seen it, you don't have to watch it for this story to make sense. But if you want to, you can watch it on Netflix! 
> 
> No Beta, so be nice lol.
> 
> (Rated Teen for cussing)
> 
> I do not own anything Marvel or Disney related.

**Chapter 1**

Peter is sitting at his desk when FRIDAY announced that a package has arrived downstairs. ****

“Would you like to have it delivered upstairs Little Boss?” Peter laughs to himself at the name as he slips on his shoes. ****

“No, let them know I'll be going downstairs to get it. And call me Peter, FRIDAY, we've been over this.” FRIDAY responded in what he can only be an amused voice for an A.I. ****

“Request denied. Boss and Mrs. Stark are the only ones who have that capability. I suggest asking them.” Peter shakes his head but can’t stop the smile that appears as he walks out of his room. He walks past the empty living room, no one is home at the moment. Once in the elevator, Peter asks FRIDAY to take him to the main Lobby. ****

Peter steps out and is greeted to the hustle and bustle of Stark Industries. Peter stood there for a second. He forgets how lucky he is sometimes, not only being the youngest intern at Stark Industry, but to have become part of the Stark family. He thinks back to the series of events that led him here. ****

***

 _Peter had entered his school science fair and of course came in first. From there, he moved up to the school district science fair, again coming in first. He was able to go to the Statewide fair where he came in second and received a $500 reward. He moved onto Nationals where he came first in his division with a $1,000 cash prize. After winning Nationals he was able to secure a spot at the Stark Expo._ ****

_“Oh my God, May! I-I did it!” Peter shouted as he received his formal invitation. May hugged him tightly and peppered him with kisses across his face. He would usually fight back but he was too happy to care. He was going to present his project at the Stark Expo!_ ****

_The Stark Expo wouldn't be like the science fairs, there were no cash prizes or awards. Instead, it was more of an opportunity for individuals to Showcase their project and potentially gain an internship or job with a company to make their prototypes a reality._ ****

_It was Pepper Potts who had spotted Peter first._ ****

_She had approached him quietly, observed his station and examined his project before walking off without a word. Peter was sure she hated it, she didn't say anything so she clearly didn't like it. He was freaking out and having an internal argument when he heard a voice behind them._ ****

_“Hey kid, mind explaining this to me?” Peter turned and came face-to-face with Tony Stark. He must have been staring for too long because May nudged him not-so-subtly._ ****

_“Oh, yeah. I mean, yes of course Mr. Stark, Sir.” Peter then went off explaining his project. By the end, Peter’s nervousness had been replaced by excitement. Tony Stark gave him a smile._ ****

_“This is great work, kid. We could use more projects like these at Stark Industries, huh Pep.” The philanthropist glanced over at his girlfriend._ ****

_“We could Tony, maybe we could even add it to our go-green campaign.” Peter glanced between the couple and then to May, who was smiling wide and looking proud._ ****

_“I couldn’t agree more.” Tony said and looked back at Peter. His nervousness was back. “We’ll be in touch, Kid.”_ ****

_“It’s Peter,” He calls out, before Tony and Pepper walk off, “Peter Parker.” He sticks out his hand. Tony glances at it for a second before shaking it with a smile._ ****

_“Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker.” Peter turns and shakes Pepper’s hand too before turning back to May, freaking out._ ****

_Within two weeks, Peter started working with Tony. It started with him coming over twice a week to the tower. And after a while he started staying over for dinner. Within 6 months he was sleeping over after late nights at the lab. The guest room down the hall had turned into Peter's Room. Even May started joining once a month for family dinners._

_Peter had slowly made himself part of the family, as if he had always been there._ ****

_He had helped Tony with his proposal plan for Pepper, even helped Pepper plan the wedding. He had been the ring bearer._ ****

_He was the first person they told when they found out they were expecting Morgan (To be fair, Peter had found Pepper throwing up in the kitchen so…)._ ****

_Now, two years later, Peter was practically living at the tower. Even May had her own room for when she was over for Girl Nights with Pepper._ ****

_***_

Peter smiled to himself at the memories. ****

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Gary at the front desk called him over. ****

“Peter! Eric from the mail room brought this over for you.” He placed a large package on the desk. ****

“Perfect! I've been waiting days for this. Mind if I open it here?” Gary handed him scissors in response. “Thanks!” He quickly opens the box and smiles. ****

Gary peeked over, “Is that a soccer ball?” ****

“Yeah!” Peter said excitedly, turning the ball around in his hands. ****

“Switching to sports now?” Peter stared at him, confused. “What? No, I need it for a project.” ****

Gary chuckled at himself. “Right, of course you do. Well, you'll have to show me pictures when you're done. Don't worry about the box, I'll handle it.” He said grabbing it. ****

“Are you sure? I don't mind-” He waved him off. ****

“Nah, you're fine. Go cure cancer, or create a plane or whatever it is you do.” ****

Peter laughed. “Thanks Gary, you're the best!” He turned and ran for the elevator, the new soccer ball in hand. ****

Once back at the penthouse, Peter raced out to the balcony where his newest project lay. He placed the new soccer ball on the ground before racing back to his room for his supplies. After he lays everything out, he gets to work.

***

Tony and May were walking out of the elevator when they noticed movement out on the balcony. ****

“Guess he’s out working again.” May said with a laugh. Tony chuckled but tried to not move so much, he had a sleeping Morgan in his arms. May reached for the sleeping girl. “Give her to me, I’ll take her to her room. You go wrestle Peter inside. It’s the boys’ turn to make dinner.” ****

Tony was about to start walking toward the balcony before May called for him. “Make sure to ask if he ate anything. The answer is probably no, so make sure he snacks before he starts helping you or else he’ll eat the food before it’s ready.” ****

Tony grabbed a banana before heading outside. He found Peter placing what looked like a red painted ball onto a pole. He adjusted the item before taking a step back to admire his work. ****

Peter was about to reach out for his project again before hearing a. “Catch!” Suddenly, a banana hit him on the side of his face. ****

Peter looked up to see Tony, doubled over in laughter. ****

“Ha ha. Very funny.” The teen stood up and adjusted his glasses. He held the banana towards Tony. “Why are you throwing fruit at me?” ****

Tony pushes the fruit back towards Peter. “For you. Eat. Your Aunt wanted me to ask you if you ate, but we both know that answer is no. So I figured I’d bring you some food.” Peter looked out towards the view. The sun was much lower than where it was when he had come out. _Oh,_ he thought, _maybe it is late._ ****

“So,” He turned back to his mentor. “How’s it going?” Peter took two big bites of his banana before answering. ****

“Oh, great! I’m actually almost done. Just need to attach some rings to Jupiter, add a few details for the storms at the Poles…” Peter turned to the older man. “Too much?” The billionaire raised his right hand, holding his pointer finger and thumb a millimetre apart. “Just a little.” Peter sighed. ****

“I just want to make it as accurate as possible. It’s worth 25% of my AP Astronomy class.” Tony placed an arm around him and tugged him inside. ****

“AP Astronomy? Aren’t you taking that class next year?” Peter peeled himself away from Tony and walked over to the bin to throw his banana peel. ****

“Yeah, but this will pay off when I impress everyone at the Summer at Sea program with my astro-navigation skills.” He turns to Tony, who is chopping some onions. “Thanks again for paying for it, I know that program isn’t cheap and I-” Tony cuts him off. ****

“Nope, stop it. I told you, it's an investment. If you think this program will help you academically, then it’s worth every penny.” Peter turned towards the walk-in pantry, hoping to avoid Tony from seeing his red cheeks. He grabs the rest of the supplies for chicken cutlets and creamy lemon garlic pasta, Pepper’s favorite. ****

“You know, on the ship, they have four state-of-the-art research labs that are available 24/7! Unlimited access to equipment and-” ****

“An SBE45 Thermosalinograph and in-vivo chlorophyll fluorometer.” Tony interrupts, setting the onions aside and grabbing three bowls. Peter leans against the counter, passing the older man the flour and breadcrumbs. ****

“I guess I mentioned it a few times?” Tony shrugged. ****

“A few times.” Tony places two eggs in a bowl and passes them to Peter. He accepts the items and starts cracking the eggs to mix.

“Well, in three days. I‘ll be studying fluid dynamics and ocean waves on one of the most advanced research vessels.” Peter said in a dream-like voice. ****

“And May, Pepper, Morgan, Happy and I will be off doing Stark business, missing you. Morgan mostly I’m sure. She’ll be missing her cuddles from her big brother.” Peter can feel his neck heat up. ****

“I’ll be missing all of you too. Where are you going again? Japan?” Peter passed the now mixed eggs and set a pot of water to boil.

“Yes, Japan for two weeks, London after for 5 days, Paris for a week, and then back here waiting for you to return.” ****

“Nice, but please keep an eye on Happy and Aunt May for me? I don’t like how close they’re getting.” Tony laughed, hard. ****

“I don’t know Kid, Peter Hogan has a nice ring to it.” Peter’s disgusted face only made the older man laugh harder. ****

 _I’d rather be a Stark._ Peter thought, instead he said, “No thanks, I’m okay being a Parker.” ****

*** ****

“Alright, so you arrive in Los Angeles at 10am and we get to Tokyo at 3am, but it’s a 17 hour time difference…” Peter turned to his aunt. Both the Starks and Parkers were at JFK airport, Morgan was fast asleep but no one could blame the toddler considering it was 5am. Peter was flying out today and he was excited, Aunt May; however, was a nervous wreck. ****

“Aunt May, it’s okay. I’ll call you when I land, don’t worry.” May pulls her nephew in for a tight hug. ****

“I’m always going to worry about you, baby.” Peter held her a little tighter before letting go. ****

“We’re going to miss you so much Peter.” Pepper pulled him in for a hug. He may be closest to Tony, but his relationship with Pepper was one he cherished. ****

“I’ll miss you guys too.” Tony hands Morgan to Pepper before pulling Peter in for a hug. ****

“I can still have the jet drop you off if you want, you can fly with us.” Peter laughs and pulls away from the hug, but doesn’t let go just yet. ****

“Thanks Tony, but it’s fine. Flying commercials won’t kill me, especially not First Class.” May gasp from behind them. ****

“First class? Tony, we agreed on Economy.” Tony raises his hands in defense. “We agreed that Economy was good! But I wasn't going to make my kid fly in it.” Peter’s heart swells a bit at the words. ****

“Petey!” Peter turns to the one-year old, who was reaching out for him. He sets his carry-on down and takes the toddler from Pepper. Morgan places one small arm around his neck, her head against his neck. ****

“It’s okay Mo, I’ll only be gone six weeks. I’ll be back in no time, okay? Make sure Dad naps and don’t watch Sesame Street without me, okay?” The one year old nods her head. “Oh-tay.” ****

Happy pulls him for a hug before trading Morgan for his carry-on. ****

“Stay safe kid. If a giant squid attacks the boat, scream and run for the life rafts.” Peter laughs. ****

“Thanks Happy, this is why you’re Head of Safety & Security.” Before Happy could respond, the overhead announces a flight to LAX will start boarding in 10 minutes. Peter turns to his family. ****

“Well, that's me.” He starts to turn when May calls him. “Have fun!” ****

“I will! I’ll be fi-” Peter started to walk backwards but tripped and fell over a pile of suitcases a worker was wheeling by. He quickly stands back up and apologizes to the worker who only grumbled and wheeled the carrier away. ****

He turns back to his family, who are trying not to laugh (and failing). After one last wave, Peter makes his way to his gate. ****

*** ****

Landing in Los Angeles, Peter is bouncing with energy. ****

He sees a man with a sign that reads, _Harold Academy_ . A red-headed teen in a plaid shirt stands behind the man. Peter makes his way over. ****

“Hi,” he says to the boy. “I’m Peter, are you doing the Semester at Sea?” The teen nods his head. “Cool! Have they mentioned the labs? Is there a sign up sheet?” Peter tugs his backpack off and starts to pull out his notebook. “I want to make sure I get as much time with the fluorometers. I’ve been playing with the idea of the effect of decreasing salamis on wave peaks and biodiversity. And sure, it can be argued as radical, but the anecdotal evidence from-” Peter looks up from his notes and realizes the kid was gone. ****

“What-” Peter looked around wildly before spotting a red head walking out the main doors. “Wait! Wait for me!” He quickly grabbed his backpack and luggage before running after him. ****

Once outside, Peter saw a bus with another man holding a _Harold Academy_ sign. ****

“Harold Academy?” The man asked. Peter nodded and the man took his luggage and gestured for Peter to board. ****

Once inside the bus, Peter glances around for the red-head boy. He walked further down the bus but had no luck. He turned to the person behind, “Hey, have you seen a boy that's about this tall, glasses, curly hair and kind of cute?” He asked. The person, a girl with curls in a messy bun and track jacket looked him up and down before replying. ****

“You mean other than you? No.” Peter ignored the blush that rushed to his cheeks and sat in the closest empty row. He picked the window seat and placed his backpack at his feet. The girl sat in the seat next to Peter and put on her headphones, a clear sign to be left alone. Peter instead pulled out his notebook and looked out his window. The door at the front of the bus closed. Finally, they were leaving. ****

 _Hm,_ he thought, _maybe the boy got on another bus._

 **  
** As the bus pulled away, it revealed a second bus, at the doors a boy with red hair boarded. A sign was visible on the side of the bus, _Harold Academy - Summer at Sea_ .


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter learns to always check signs and ask questions before boarding a bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I decided to post the second chapter since I figured why not. It's all done and just waiting to be posted. Enjoy :)

**Chapter 2**

Peter has visited Los Angeles four times since working with the Starks. 

During his first visit, Peter didn’t like it. He’s from New York, east coast pride and all of that shit. But as he roamed around the city and visited the local hidden gems with Tony (in disguise of course), he understood why so many people loved it. 

_“It’s the people.” Tony had said. “You can sense the pride that they have. But you can also sense the history. They definitely have a wall up at first, but once they know you’re good people, they stand by you. Plus, the Mexican food here is amazing.”_

Peter tried to be subtle about his excitement for his second visit. He had visited Universal studios, Venice Beach, more hidden gem restaurants, and the location of Tony’s old home. 

_“You had the best view Mr. Stark.” Peter took a picture to show May._

_“Tony, kid. I’ve told you. Call me Tony.”_

Aunt May tagged along for the third trip. She claimed that she was only agreeing to go to make sure a newly announced pregnant Pepper could have a buddy. Peter knew that she was just as excited as he was. 

They went to Disneyland and California adventures. Peter made sure she tried In-n-Out.

_“Better than Shake Shack?” He asked his Aunt white taking a bite of his 3x3._

_“Nope, but still delicious.”_

The fourth trip, last spring break, had been the best one. Peter didn’t try to hide his excitement this time because baby Morgan had just been born and it had been their first ‘ _family trip_ ’ as Pepper called it. 

It was also that trip that Peter had learned about the Summer at Sea program. It was two weeks before the deadline when Peter had seen the flyer while visiting the Griffith Observatory. Tony had made the call and booked him a stop by the time they reached their hotel.

_“Wasn’t that much, kid. No big deal, trust me.” The new dad had said it so casually but the shine in his eyes said something else. “It’s an investment, on you. Worth every penny. Now shut up and eat your Kogi Dog or I’m giving it to Happy.”_

Peter smiled at the memories as the bus drove down the coast of the 101. As much as he liked the place, the traffic sucked. Traffic everywhere was horrible. To keep himself entertained, Peter read his notes. He was reading over his dolphin tracking notes when he risked a glance at the girl next to him. He should really ask for her name. 

She also had her own notes out, except- wait. Peter leaned a little closer. _Is that a- a soccer field?_ Her notes were just various plays _._ Peter felt a stare and looked up, the girl was looking down at his notes. They shared confused glances before both looking away. 

_Hm, weird. Guess I can’t judge, we all have our hobbies._

***

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he must have at some point because he was woken up by someone poking his forehead. 

“Hey, wake up. Dude, I can’t feel my arm.” Peter quickly opens his eyes and sits up. _Oh my god, I fell asleep on the pretty girl's shoulder._

“Sorry.” He mumbled out. The girl was already up and grabbing her own bag from the overhead. 

“It’s fine, just thought I’d wake you up since we’re here.” He glanced around and noticed the bus was empty. “I guess I’ll see you on the field.” The girl said before walking off the bus.

Peter stood and grabbed his backpack. “Field?” As he stepped out of the bus he saw that they were outside of a campus. There were kids everywhere, in various groups. One group was stretching to the left of Peter, and the others were kicking a ball to each other on the right. There was no boat in sight.

“Wait, where’s the boat?” Peter asked out loud. The girl from the bus answered, she was next to him in line to get her own bags. 

“Boat?” She responded confused. 

“Yes, boat! Where’s the harbor?” 

“Probably where it's always been, about 20 miles south from here.” Peter turned to her in horror.

“What?! But this is Harold Academy-” 

“Yeah, so you’re in the right place.” Mystery girl cut him off with a small smile.

“-Summer at Sea?” He finished and she winced.

“Oh no. Then you’re definitely in the wrong place. This is Harold Academy, _Soccer._ ” Peter felt his heart stop.

“No. No no no no. This can’t be happening. This is _not_ happening.” He pulled out his binder from his backpack and quickly read his papers. “Okay, I can fix this. If the harbor is roughly 20 miles south, and I’m here...no… wait, if I get in a car going 65 mph, then I could-” he glanced back at the girl. “Do you have the time?” Still confused but also slightly amused, she pulled out her phone, showing him the time. Peter’s shoulders slouch. 

“The boat left two hours ago.” If his heart hadn’t stopped before, it definitely had now. “I missed it. I missed my boat.” He glances at the girl who now looked at him with a hint of pity. “I’m supposed to be with the dolphins by now.”

“If it helps, Team C are called the Hammerheads.” Peter gave her a pained look. “Too soon?”

***

Peter glances around the office he sat in. The desk in front of him was scattered with papers. There was soccer equipment shoved to one corner, and a pile of various folders also filled with papers in the other corner. A few medals and photos hung from the wall. The man in front of him, Mr. Harrington, was on the phone with someone from the program Peter was _supposed_ to be on. 

“Yes, I understand. Mhm, yeah. No, yes of course. Yup. Alright. Hm, okay. Yes. Okay thank you. You too.” The lanky man hung up the call and looked at Peter. “Well Mr. Parker, I’m going to be honest with you. There’s good news and bad news.” Peter sat up straighter. “The bad news is, you won’t be able to attend Summer at Sea.” 

“What? Why not? Can’t they turn the ship around? It’s a ship, they do that, right?” Mr. Harrington grimaced. 

“I’m afraid they can’t. They’re on a strict research schedule that can’t be changed. However, there is good news. Since Summer at Sea is a sister program to the Harold Soccer program, your file can be sent here! You can attend our program, isn’t that great?” Peter gave him a blank stare. Mr. Harrington sighs. “Listen, Peter. You don’t really have many options. Your parents are en route to the other side of the world, and won’t be back for almost a month. You missed your boat, and the only options you have are making the best out of a bad situation or going home.” Peter closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

_Come on Parker, it's six weeks. You can do it. You might die trying but you can definitely do this._

He looks back at the coach who is staring at him in concern. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll stay.” The older man smiles. 

“Perfect!” He searches through the pile of scattered papers across his desk. Grabbing a few and passing them to Peter. “Alright, well, to start, here is a map to the campus. You’ll also need a few forms about our rules and regulations. Oh! And the info on tryouts” Peter looks at the tryout flyer. _Oh right, he has to actually play soccer here._

“Here is a folder with a few more papers you may need and this,” Mr. Harrington reaches for the paper he just printed. “is your class schedule and room information. Good luck and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gives the teen a genuine smile and Peter hopes his smile is convincing but he feels like it came out more of a grimace than anything. Grabbing his luggage, he starts to make his way through campus and to his new home for the next six weeks. 

_This is going to be a long summer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, again, let me know what ya'll think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally meets his roommates and we learn a little more about Michelle.

**Chapter 3**

Michelle Jones first started playing soccer when she was four years old. Her dad had signed her up for a local AYSO league and she fell in love. She wasn’t that good at first, but by the age of ten, she was showing some serious potential. For her 13th birthday, her parents had surprised her with an acceptance letter to Harold Academy’s Summer Soccer Program. She’s attended every summer since. 

The cute boy on the bus was new, clearly, but Michelle found his confusion adorable. She did feel for him when he realized he had boarded the wrong bus. The complicated notes he was reading on the bus made more sense now. She had thought he was an athletic nerd like her. 

She was stretching out on the field with her friend Betty after she had gone to her dorm and changed. Betty, a stereotypical looking white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, had been one of the first people Michelle had met when she first came. She thought the two would hate each other, she was glad to be wrong. 

“So,” Betty spoke as she took a sip of her water. “Who was that boy you were talking to earlier?” Michelle shrugged and continued her stretching.

“Don’t know. He said he was supposed to be on the Summer at Sea program. Got on the wrong bus and ended up here.” Now stretched, Betty got the ball and kicked it to Michelle.

“That sucks. But you don’t want him to distract you, no matter how cute he is.” Michelle rolled her eyes. 

“I know Betty, when have I ever let a boy distract me?”

“I know. I’m just saying. We’ll be juniors next year, scouts will be looking at us soon. We just need to stay focused, the world is our oyster.”

“I’m allergic to shellfish.” Michelle stated with an eye roll. 

“Oh, well… then the world is our  _ burrito _ .” Michelle stared at her friend before bursting out laughing. 

“Can we please just practice our corner kicks?” Michelle asked once they caught their breath.

“Yeah, let me grab my gloves.”

***

Peter stood outside his new dorm, building the courage to open it and meet his roommates. 

“Okay,” he mumbled to himself. “This isn’t what we planned but that's okay. What does Tony say? When life throws you curve balls, eat shawarma. Yeah, Ubereats some shawarma later.” Finally finding the courage, Peter steps forward and opens the door and almost gets hit by a ball.

“Oh my god!” He hears a voice shout to his right. “Are you okay?” Peter shakes the shock off and looks at the three people standing in front of him. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Peter stepped over the threshold and was met with a black teen who looked about his age. The boy wore gray sweats, no shirt, and feet bare. Peter forced himself to not stare. The person to his right, the one who originally asked if he was okay, was a heavy-set, tan boy with dark blue sweats and a yellow striped t-shirt. He was also barefoot. The last boy, the one who he assumed was the one to toss the ball, stood furthest from him. The boy was slightly taller than Peter. He wore black shorts, a white undershirt, and a pair of Nike slides. 

Peter stood awkwardly at the entrance, unsure of what to do. Blue-sweats guy came to his rescue. He stepped forward and extended his hand. 

“Hi, my name is Ned. You must be our fourth roommate.” Peter set his bag down and shook his hand. 

“I’m Peter. And yeah, I guess I am.” 

“They said we weren’t getting a fourth roommate.” Undershirt guy said. 

“Flash, dude.” Shirtless guy said. He turned to Peter. “Ignore him. I’m Aberham, but everyone calls me Abe.” He offers Peter a fist bump which Peter returns a little unsure. Abe just smirks and turns to get the ball that was left forgotten by the door. 

“Well, Peter,” Ned said, getting his attention again. “Since you're the last one here, you get to bunk with me, top bunk.” Ned pats the bunk bed furthest from the door. “The trunk against the bed is also yours. We can help you unpack if you want.” Ned grabs the bag on the floor and sets it on the bottom bunk. 

“Oh, you don’t have to.” Abe pats his shoulder as he walks by him. 

“It’s best to just let him. Ned is really weird about organization.” The other boy, Flash, walks to him and sits on the desk chair to his left. 

“Comes in handy when it’s cleaning day. I’m Flash by the way.” He tosses Peter the soccer ball and Peter just barely catches it. “So where did you say you were from Peter?”

“I didn’t say- Um, New York. Queens, New York.” Ned turns to him enthusiastically. “No way, I’m from Brooklyn!” Peter smiled widely. “Flash here is from New Jersey.” Ned said, tilting his head towards the other boy. Peter turned to Abe. The other boy just shrugged. “I’m local, sort of. I’m from Bakersfield, California.” Peter nodded in understanding, even though he had no idea where that was. He set the soccer ball down on the desk when Flash grabbed his other bag and started to place things in his trunk. 

“So you’re new right? I know everyone here and I don’t know you.” Flash said.

“Yeah.... I’m actually supposed to be in the middle of the ocean right now, looking at dolphins. But instead I’m here. At a soccer camp. Even though I've never played soccer.” The room went eerily quiet. Peter looked up and saw all three boys staring at him in shock. Ned was the first to recover. 

“Wait, you’ve never played? Like,  _ ever _ ?” Peter shrugged. 

“Does P.E. count?”

“No!” All three shout.

“Then, no.” Flash stood up from his seat.

“Wait, then please explain why you’re here?” So Peter explained everything to his three roommates. By the end of it, Peter felt a little better and a little less stupid.

Until Flash spoke.

“But you wear glasses. How did you not see the giant sign?” Abe punched Flash’s arm. Ned just rolled his eyes.

“Well, yeah Flash has a point. But, you’re here now. And we could help you, right guys?” Abe nodded along and Flash did to, although a lot more hesitant than the other two. 

“Thanks, I'll need all the help I can get.” Peter places the folder Mr. Harrington gave him on his bed, a thought suddenly popping into his head. “Actually, do any of you know where I could get soccer shoes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is staying safe:) Don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter learns the basics of soccer, formally meets Michelle and the star player at Harold Academy, Harry Osborn.

**Chapter 4**

After Ned and Abe helped Peter get proper soccer equipment, and Flash gave him the rundown of all the soccer rules and regulations; all four boys were sat out on the practice field eating shawarma. Peter had suggested going over the rules on the field while they waited for their food, he reasoned that it would help him visualize everything if he was actually there. It was confusing at first, but then Ned found a video about the science of soccer and it was much easier for Peter to come to terms with. 

“Wait, do you mean- are you trying to _bend the ball?”_ Abe asked with a look of disbelief. Flash laughed next to him. 

“No offense Parker, but that move is a little too complex for your skill level.” Peter shrugged before walking over to pick up his ball before trying again. 

“You’re right. It is above my skill level. Which is why I'm practicing. It was hard to grasp the concept at first, but I did what Ned suggested.” The third boy looked at his friend with confusion. 

“And… what did I suggest again?” 

“To look at the science of it.” Abe crossed his arms, still unconvinced.

“Okay, so what’s the science behind it?” Flash hit his shoulder.

“Why would you ask that, now he’s going to spend half an hour explaining.” Peter only smiled widely at his roommates.

“I’m glad you asked Abe! It’s simple physics.” Flash rolled his eyes and settled on the floor. 

“This is going to be a long summer.”

***

The next morning, Peter was the first one to wake up. He hit the showers and returned to see Flash and Ned up, Abe still snoring in his bed. 

“Don’t worry, he always wakes up 15 minutes before we need to leave.” Ned explained as Flash made his way to the bathroom. Peter changed and sure enough, Abe’s alarm went off just before they head out.

Now ready, the four boys made their way to class. They walked Peter to his locker which was in the same hall as them, just further down. 

“It says here you have Pre-Calculus with Mrs. Greenwood first. You signed up for Calculus? In the summer?” Flash read over his shoulder. 

“Yeah, I have Calculus in the fall so I figured I should be prepared.” Peter grabbed his calculus textbook and followed the teens down the hall. His roommates were reviewing his other class as they walked. He had English with Ned and Flash, Chemistry alone, and of course soccer training with all of them. 

Peter was so absorbed with their comments of the teachers that he ran right into someone as they turned a corner.

“Sorry! I wasn’t looking.” Peter reached out to steady the other person, making eye contact with a familiar face.

“Bus boy, you’re still here.” Peter dropped the arm he had on her arm. 

“You know Peter?” Flash asked.

“Yeah, Pete and I go _way_ back. Remember when you fell asleep on my shoulder?” Mystery Girl teased. “We sat together on the bus. I was there when he realised there was no boat.” She said with a smirk.

“Yeah, she witnessed one of the most humiliating moments of my life. Fun times.” The blonde next to Michelle spoke up. 

“So _this_ is Ocean Boy.” Peter tilted his head to the side, confused. He glanced back at Mystery girl.

“Ocean Boy?” He questioned.

“Yeah, because you were supposed to be in the ocean. That's what Michelle said.” _Michelle,_ Peter repeated in his head. _Pretty name for a pretty girl._

“Are people calling me ‘Ocean Boy’?” he asked. 

“No, Betty is just being weird.” Michelle gave the other girl a pointed look. 

“There you are.” Another voice said behind them. Someone forced their way through the group of boys, pushing Peter to the side. The person in questions with a guy slightly taller than Peter with dark black hair. He wore a forest green t-shirt, tan khakis and Nike shoes. He placed a protective arm around Michelle’s shoulders. 

“I was waiting for you by your locker. We’re supposed to go over our practice schedule before class, remember?” The boy glanced over at Peter and his friends. “We don’t want to end up on the loser team.” Michelle rolled her eyes, and spoke to Peter. 

“Anyways, I’m glad you stuck around Peter. Can’t wait to see you on the field.” Michelle gave him a once over before walking off with her friends pestering her with questions. 

Once the other group was out of hearing distance, Peter turned to his roommates.

“Who and _what_ was that?” Flash was the one to give him the rundown.

“ _That_ was Harry Osborn. Easily the most popular and most skilled player here at the Academy.” 

“I heard he learned to dribble the day he learned to walk.” Abe said in fascination. “And that Pelé is his uncle.” 

“I heard Ronaldo was his other uncle.” Ned cuts in. 

“And I heard,” Flash said, grabbing their attention again. “That the rumors are full of shit. Harry Osborn is not that great, okay? His rich dad pays for personal trainers. Come on Abe, we’ll be late for class.” Ned tugs Peter down the other direction. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you to Pre-Calc.”

Ned walked Peter out of the building and towards the Math department. 

“So,” Ned bumps his shoulder. “What's with you and Michelle?” Peter could feel his cheeks burn.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He adjusted his hold on his backpack strap.

“Come on, I mean, talk about advanced chemistry.” Ned giggled. 

“What? No, Ned, come on. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh I do. I know what I saw. Michelle is one of the best players in the program. If anyone would make it big, it’s her. Everyone thinks her and Harry are dating, but they’re not. They’ve been best friends since they were like 8. They’re actually both from New York, Manhattan. They met Betty here, she’s from Ohio.” Peter didn’t miss the way Ned’s cheeks grew red when he spoke about Betty. 

“I don’t care.” Peter tried to sound unbothered.

“Fine. Then you won’t care when I say that Michelle literally hates everyone. She only talks to Betty and Harry. She would have glared at anyone else who bumped her in the hall. She likes you.” Ned opened the door to the math building.

“She _laughed_ at me. I’m _Ocean Boy_.” Ned rolled his eyes.

“Sure buddy. Whatever you say.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter goes to tryouts and calls his aunt who has some news.

**Chapter 5**

Peter's last class before tryouts was Chemistry, which he loved. He walked into the room and took the seat in the front row, right in front of the teacher’s desk. He pulled out his notebook and was arranging his pens when he felt someone approach his desk. Glancing up, he made eye contact with Michelle.

“Looks like we have Chemistry together, Ocean Boy.” She teased with a wink before taking the seat behind him. Before he could answer, Harry brushed by him, taking the seat next to her. Peter turned back to the front. 

The rest of chemistry went by uneventfully. Their teacher, Mr. Dell, seemed like a no-bullshit kind of teacher. He went over their syllabus, making sure to go over their final project. 

“This project is worth 25% of your grade. You can do it on anything. It’s a 5-8 page report, work cited included with a demonstration. You can present it at any point between now and the final exam. Just come to me beforehand to schedule a day. Am I clear?” The whole class gave variations of agreements. Peter’s mind was already coming up with different ideas on what topic he would want to focus his project on.

Soon, class was over and it was time for try-outs. Peter made his way to the locker room. He changed quickly and pulled out his contacts. He didn’t wear them often, but he figured it would be safer than trying to play soccer with glasses. 

Since he didn't wear contacts often, he took a while putting them on. He was sure the left one was purposefully being an asshole and not cooperating. Finally, after many attempts, his vision was ready.  His roommates were all on the field once he walked out. Abe whistled when he spotted Peter.

“Look at Parker, showing off his big brown eyes.” Peter blushed at the compliment, scratching at the area where he would usually push the frames up. 

“I figured contacts would be a safer option.” He glanced around, trying to follow the stretches Flash was doing. He lifted his left leg and almost fell over, Flash snorted.

“You ready for try-outs Peter?” Abe asked.

“Was Thomson’s plum pudding model of atomic architecture correct?” Peter said with a laugh. The other three boys gave him confused looks. Peter gave a soft sigh, “No.”

“You  _ really  _ don’t play sports, huh?” Flash said, switching legs. Peter shook his head no, which was a mistake because he lost his balance and fell over.

"This is going to be fun." Abe said laughing, reaching over to help him up.

Try-outs were a lot more physically painful than Peter expected. They started with laps around the field, which Peter was basically dead last the whole time. Then penalty kicks, which Peter would either miss the goal or the ball completely. He made contact with the ball once, stepping on it instead of kicking which caused him to fall on his ass. They also did a practice game, Peter's least favorite part because he got hit in the face  _ and _ back. 

The only part Peter enjoyed was the dribbling drill. It was easy, simple, and Michelle had dribbled alongside him. Although it was embarrassing when a stray ball had hit him, causing him to fall flat on his face; Michelle had been the one to help him up. 

Peter had attempted to kick the ball during the practice game, key word: attempted. He missed and ended up on his ass. Harry has ran up to him, taking the ball. 

“Nice kick.” He said with a smirk, before taking the shot himself. Of course it went in. 

By the end, Peter was sitting on the grass, his back to the bench. He had an ice back on each leg, a wet towel around his neck, and another ice pack on his forehead. 

“Well,” Abe said, taking a sip of his water. “That was a nice warm-up to the season.” Peter turned to him.

“That was a  _ warm-up _ ? I don't think I’ll survive the next six weeks.” Ned reached for him, helping him up. Peter gladly accepted the help, leaning on the other boy as the group walked off the field.

“The first day is always the hardest. It will get easier, promise.” The four made their way to their dorm. Once in their room, Ned lead Peter to their bunk bed, Peter let himself fall on to the mattress.  Flash took a shower first, then Peter, Ned, and Abe last. Peter scrolled through his phone as they waited for the Chipotle they ordered to arrive. 

“I hurt muscles I didn’t even know I had.” Peter complained, shaking the arm not hold his phone. He eventually locked his phone and set it next to his head on his pillow, his arms to soar to even hold up the small device.

“You’ll survive.” Flash replied, not bothering to look up from his own phone.

“Just make sure to keep drinking water.” Ned offered. “And stretch before bed.” Abe burst into the room, a Chipotle bag in each hand.

“I bring gifts!” He sets the bags on his desk and the other boys cheered. Abe was passing out the food when Flash screamed.

“They posted teams!” Flash yelled. Everyone but Peter quickly checked their phones to check. Ned was the first one to speak.

“Well, at least we’re all on the same team! Hashtag WOTB!” Flash grounded and fell back onto his bed.

“WOTB?” Peter asked. making his way tot he food now that Abe was distarcted.

“Worst of the best.” Abe explained, passing him a napkin and fork.

“Harry made the E Team. AGAIN! That rich douche is going to be bragging about it all day tomorrow.” Flash complained, opening his steak bowl.

“Flash, your rich.” Ned reminded him.

“Yeah, but I’m New Jersey rich. Harry is a douche and  _ rich _ rich. Rich guys can be annoying, a douche who is also rich is the worst.” 

“But being the worst of the best can’t be that bad, right? I mean, you still made it on a team!” Peter said, trying to make his friends feel better.

“We got on Team F, the practice team, again.” Abe took a sad bite of his burrito.

“But I thought you guys were amazing out there.” Peter couldn't understand, his friends had crushed it at try outs. All three of them were _wa_ _y_ better than him.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re the _worst_ of the  _ best _ .” Ned said as he opened his bowl, drizzling salsa and taking a bite. “It’s an elite soccer program, but someone has to be at the bottom.”

“And that’s us.” Flash mumbled sadly, also taking a bit of his food. “Welcome to ‘Team Loser’ Peter.” Peter chocked on his food, Abe passed him a water bottle and patted his back.

“W- what? I made the team?” He said after he could breath again. 

“Of course.” Flash looked at him as if it was obvious before looking back down his phone,

“I thought they would realize I was so bad at sports they would send me home.” Flash glanced up from his phone again.

“Harry is team captain,  _ again _ .” Ned and Abe didn't look surprised at the news. Peter glanced at them, not understanding. 

“And that’s special because?”

“E is for excellence. So only the best of the best place on that team. Harry being captain makes him the best of the best  _ of the best _ .” Flash huffed. “My dad was on the E team when he came here.”

“My brother was captain of the team for two summers.” Abe admitted.

“He thinks he’s so much better than us.” Flash grumbled. “He wants us to treat him like he’s all high and mighty. He can fuck off.”

“We can still prove ourselves during the tournament.” Ned offered. Flash snorted. 

“Yeah right, the last time the F team even  _ placed _ in the tournament was over ten years ago.” Flash reminded him.

“Tournament?” Peter asked.

“The last week of camp is a tournament, all teams play against each other. Team E has been on an 8 year winning streak.” Abe explained. “Michelle and Betty made it on the female E team too by the way.” They drop the topic after that and finish eating. 

***

Peter decided to take a stroll, making his way to one of the empty lounge areas. He put on his airpods and Facetimed his aunt. It rang a few times before May’s face appeared on the screen.

“Peter!” He smiled at the sound of her voice. She had her hair up in her signature messy bun, her round frames slightly askew. Guessing from the view behind her, she was in her hotel room, her suitcase laid open on the ground by her bed. He missed his aunt so much.

“Hi Aunt May! How was your first day in Japan?” He listened to his aunt talk about her day. She took Morgan to local markets and visited parks while the Starks went to meetings. 

“Tony made reservations to this nice restaurant. Amazing ramen, the best I've had, ever. Today, Pepper is in a meeting, but should be free to do some sightseeing with me in the afternoon. Maybe even go shopping! Oh wait, someone wants to say hi.” She places the phone down, giving Peter a great view of the ceiling in her hotel room before picking up the phone again. Morgan in her arms.

“Petey!” the young girl squealed. His heart felt like it was being squeezed as he saw his little sister try to reach through the screen for him.

“Hi Mo! I miss you.” Morgan babbled in what Peter was baby-speak for ‘I miss you too.’ He spoke to them for a little while longer.

“I’m glad you’re giving this camp a try Peter.” May said after he had told her about his classes and how helpful his roommates have been. “But Tony said, if you still hate it after two weeks, he’ll fly you to wherever we are.” Peter sat up a little straighter.

“Really?” May nodded her head. 

“But only if you really hate it. But I need you to promise, Peter, that you’ll really try. One hundred and ten percent kind of try.”

“I promise, May.” The older women smiled.

“Good. Now go to bed. I larb you.”

“I larb you too. And you Morgan.” The young Stark just giggled in response, leaning towards screen, kissing it with a loud 'mwah'. They said their goodbyes and Peter made his way back to bed. Falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Michelle talk about pickles.

**Chapter 6**

Peter has officially been at Harold Academy for over a week. Ned had been right, the first few days were the hardest, but every day since was still hard. Mentally and primarily physically for Peter. He was improving, but still far behind in comparison to everyone else. He was able to actually kick the ball now, but his aim was still awful.

The only thing keeping Peter sane were his classes, particularly chemistry.

He was currently practicing his project for said class. It was after another hard practice, so Peter was being extra careful since he could barely move his arm. He was alone in the classroom, so of course he jumped when the door swung open, almost making him drop his wire. 

“Sorry,” the voice behind him said. “Didn’t think anyone would be here. I forgot my textbook.” He knew that voice, it was Michelle. He set the wire down and turned to face her. 

“It’s okay. I was just working on a demonstration of atomic emission and luminescence.”  __ Michelle was in sweats and a Harold Academy hoodie. Her hair was down and loose, cascading down her back.  She walked over to Peter, standing so close he could smell her shampoo.  _ Coconut _ ,  _ huh. _

She looked over at all the supplies he had laid on the table, glancing over his notes.  “You’ve already started your project?”

“Well, it is a big part of our grade.” Peter said with a shrug, trying (and failing) to keep his blush from making an appearance.

“We also still have five weeks left.” She reminded him.

“Eh, more like four and a half. And I don’t mind. Science is my thing, it calms me.” She looked over at him. Peter felt like she was analyzing him, she probably was. 

She glanced at his project before looking at him again. “Explain it to me?” Peter went still, he wasn't sure if she was serious or mocking him. But giving her a quick glance, Peter realized that Michelle was serious. 

So he did. He goes over his topic, explaining what it is and why he picked it. 

“Sorry, I’m rambling.” He cut himself off. Michelle had sat down at this point, a faint smile on her face.

“Don’t apologize.  _ Never _ apologize for talking about something you like. Especially when I asked you about it. Now keep going, how does this actually work?” Michelle was genuinely interested and the way Peter’s excitement over it made it seem cooler than what it probably was. 

“Okay, so by sending voltage through a pickle.” Peter held up the jar of pickles he had on the table. “The electrons from sodium atoms present in the pickle are excited to a higher energy and then relaxed, emitting their energy as visible yellow light.” He set the jar down and put on his gloves and goggles. “Like this.” Peter connected the two clips to their respected areas. Nothing happened at first, but then a small glow began to grow in the pickle.

“That’s amazing.” Michelle whispered under her breath. So low Peter almost didn’t hear her, almost. Michelle was certain that Peter was probably the smartest person she had ever met.

A comfortable silence fell over them as Peter unclipped the cords to the wire rods in the pickle and removed his gloves.

“So,” Michelle started, “are you good at just chemistry or all STEM subjects?” She asked. 

“Oh,” Peter scratched the back of his neck. “I guess you could say I’m good at, um, at all STEM subjects.” The curly haired girl raised an eyebrow at him.

“You  _ think _ or you know?” Peter cleared his throat.

“I know." He corrected. "I’m good at STEM. Like, really good.” Michelle smiled. Peter smiled back and took the seat next to her.

“Good. Don’t be afraid to be confident and don’t downplay your strengths.” Peter nodded his head.

“Math is easy for me, and English.” She continued. “Science isn’t hard, but it’s not my strongest subject. I know we start chapter 4 tomorrow, but I’m honestly still trying to understand chapter 2.” She admits.Michelle didn't have many friends at Harold who were as academically focused as her. Talking to Peter about school was a breath of fresh air.

“I can help.” She glances up at him. “With chem. I can help you with the chapters. What doesn’t make sense?” Michelle opened up her textbook, placing it between them.

It had been a while before the door opened again, this time it was Harry at the door. He didn’t seem too happy to see who Michelle was with. He walked up to them, ignoring Peter.

“You’ve been gone for almost an hour ‘Chelle. We were supposed to meet out in the field.” Michelle glanced at the clock in front of the class, then back at her best friend.

“Sorry. Lost track of time.” She stood up, grabbing the textbook. On the way out, Michelle turns to Peter and takes one of his pickles from the jar. “Thanks,” she said, taking a bite of the pickle. “Nice goggles.” Winking before walking out. Harry only glares at Peter, finally acknowledging him, before walking out after her. 

They were out of the building before Michelle turned to her best friend. 

“What was that back there?” Harry shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“I don’t know what you mean.” The older teen rolled her eyes. Harry knows Michelle hates it when he pretends to be ignorant.

“You know exactly what I mean. What do you have against Peter?” Harry scrunched up his nose at the name. “See! You made a face.” Harry crossed his arms, Michelle copied his stance, mocking him. 

“I just don’t buy his act.” 

Michelle looked at her friend, confused.  “His act?” To Michelle, Peter has been one of the most transparent individuals she has ever met. He was as easy to read as a Dr. Seuss.

“Yeah, this random nerdy guy ends up at one of the most pristine soccer camps in the west coast but can’t play the sport?” Michelle sighs.

“That was an accident.” She reminds him. Harry doesn't but it.

“That’s another thing. He’s a giants fucking nerd who couldn’t read a sign on the side of the bus?”

“Oh come on! He just-” Harry cuts her off. Why was his best friend being so difficult? _What isn't clicking?_ He thought to himself.

“Michelle! Why do you care about this guy so much? You’re supposed to be focused. You need to up your game for next year, scouts will be looking at you. You can’t get distracted, especially by  _ him _ .”

“Peter isn’t distracting me. If anything, he’s  _ helping _ me. We don’t take classes here for fun Harry. They’re required. I can’t impress scouts if I can’t qualify to play. He actually offered to help me with chemistry.”

“You and I both know your grades are more than capable of keeping you on the field. He doesn’t even deserve to be here. I heard his parents paid for him to stay.” Michelle tenses at the new information.

“Yeah, and yours paid for me to stay so, should I go pack my bags too?” Harry winces. 

“No, Michelle, that’s not-” She lifts up her hand, stopping him.

“Stop Harry. Just, I need to go cool off.” Michelle walks in the direction of her dorm, leaving a confused and sad Harry behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious about Peter's project here is some info on it lol: 
> 
> https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/electric-pickle/


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update. These past two weeks have been... intense.

**Chapter 7**

After another intense practice, Peter and his roommates are walking back to their dorms when Flash gets a text for a bonfire invite at the beach. 

“Bonfire? Tonight? Sweat!” Abe makes a beeline for the shower, almost dropping his towel in his rush.

“You guys go have fun. I think I’ll stay and work on some homework.” Peter said, taking a seat on his desk and opening his notebooks. Parties have never been something Peter liked to go to. Not just because he was never invited to them, but any gathering over 10 people is a lot for him. The SI holiday party is the one and only party Peter goes to and only for Pepper's sake. Flash; however, was not having it. The social invested teen slammed the notebook closed. 

“Nope. Can’t let you do that. You know how lame we would all look if our roommate didn’t go to the party because he was ‘doing homework’? Not a chance. Leeds! Help Parker get ready.” Flash took his stack of notebooks and placed them in his trunk for good measure. Peter rolled his eyes and turned to Ned for back up but was met with a shrug.

“Sorry Pete, but I have to side with Flash here. Not the whole ruining our reputation thing, but you need to take a break. You’ve studied enough this week.” Ned, placed a bundle of clean clothes on his lap.

“But I-” Ned shook his head, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 

“Nope. Change. We’ll take you kicking and screaming if we have to.”

So that’s how Peter ended up at the beach in his gray MIT hoodie (read: Tony’s hoodie that Peter stole) and blue swim trunks. The four boys made their way to the giant group of teens, all around two bonfires. Flash immediately left their side, making his way towards a group of girls that were way out of his league. Peter glanced around, estimating about 40 teens. He could feel his nervous building, making sure to take deep breaths. He was so focused on his breathing, that he didn't notice someone walk up behind him.

“Looking for someone?” Peter turned towards the voice, finding Michelle standing behind them. She was in her burgundy Harold hoodie again, black bike shorts, and her hair was thrown in a messy bun. 

“Michelle! Hey, hi. Um, hey.” He could hear Ned and Abe chuckling next to him, he tried his best to ignore them. Michelle smirked before looking at the laughing boys behind him.

“Ned, right?" The boy stopped his giggles, standing straighter.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Betty was looking for you. She’s sat by the red cooler over there.” She pointed to the blonde over on the right side. She must have felt their stairs because she glanced at them, meeting Ned's eyes and sending a small wave. Peter didn’t need to glance at his friend to see the blush. He heard Abe mumble something before guiding Ned away.

“Take a walk with me?” Michelle asked once the others were gone. Peter glanced at his friends before agreeing and following her down towards the shoreline. She picked up a spare ball on their way. 

Once they were a few meters away from the group, Michelle set the ball down and told his to take a few steps out. 

“Not bad Parker," Michelle said after a few passes. "you’ve improved.” Peter was glad for the setting sun, it hid his blush better.

She was right, he had improved. But no one other than his friends and Coach Harrington have mentioned it. “That's nice of you to lie.” Peter caught her pass and set the ball to kick back. Michelle caught his pass effortlessly, passing it back without having to set it up like he still had too. 

“I’m serious. You’re not good,  _ at all _ . But you’re not terrible.” She kicked the ball back to him, too far left this time, making Peter take a big step to stop it from going into the water.

“Thanks. You’re amazing. At soccer!” He passed it back, his aim not as great but better than it was a week ago.

Michelle stopped the ball and left her foot on the ball, glancing over at him. “And that's surprising because I'm a girl?” Peter froze. She held his gaze.

“What? No! That’s not-” Michelle broke into a smile before laughing. 

“I’m messing with you. You’re amazing too…at chemistry.” They kicked the ball back and forth for a while longer in comfortable silence.

Eventually the two teens make their way back to the group, walking so close Peter can feel Michelle’s hand graze his hand. Harry immediately spots them. He calls Michelle over to him. She mouths ‘sorry’ and makes her way over, but it’s okay. Peter is happy. 

***

The second week came and went quickly, Peter couldn’t believe that he was actually enjoying his time at a soccer camp. His soccer skills were far from good, but Peter was actually starting to like and maybe even enjoy practice. Ned, Abe, and even Flash have been super supportive, Peter couldn't have asked for better roommates. He really lucked out with them. Michelle had also been more constant in Peter's life in the past week. Since the bonfire, Peter felt more at ease around her. He was still a stuttering mess, but he could actually go a whole 10 minutes before blushing during most interactions. Peter has also met with Michelle twice after practice to help her with Chemistry. 

Peter was shocked when she had asked him on Monday in class, but quickly agreed. He had feared that he would be a stuttering mess, but tutoring had always been easy for Peter. It was his comfort zone.

Michelle was also an easy student to teach. She listened intently to everything Peter said, and was never scared to ask questions. 

"Mr. Dell should retire." Michelle said as they packed up their items. They had gone over the new chapter and the homework that had been assigned that day. "That man makes it seem so much more complex. The way you explain it makes so much more sense." Peter slipped on his bag.

"I'm not- no. Mr. Dell is a great teacher.”

“But you still explain it better.” Peter took the compliment, his cheeks still as read as the shirt Michelle wore.

The next day, Peter was alone in his dorm, his roommates taking a break in the common room with other kids before practice. Peter had planned to work on homework but wasn’t really in the mood. Glancing at the clock, he made a quick decision to FaceTime Tony before practice.

Tony answered the call almost immediately, which surprised Peter because it was 5am in Japan. He figured that it would take a few rings to wake up the mechanic. 

“Pete, kid. It’s good to see your face.” The older man was smiling wide. He had missed his oldest. The trip to Japan, aside from the boring meetings, has been a lot of fun. But he still wished Peter had tagged along with them. When Peter had missed his boat, Tony had argued with Pepper and May to fly him to them. But both women were right, Peter should take advantage of a break from science. 

“Tony,” Peter said with an eye roll, “we FaceTimed two days ago.” 

“Two days too long. So, why the early call? You usually call before bed.” Peter adjusted his hold on his phone. 

“I made a decision.” Tony’s eyes went wide. “I want to stay.” His mentor’s smile grew before he finished his sentence. 

“I got to say kid, I’m glad you want to stay. Very proud of you, but you did cost me $100.” Peter tilted his head. “I bet Happy you would miss me too much and want to come home.” Peter laughed.

“Wow, you  _ bet _ on me?” Tony had the decency to look embarrassed. 

“Not because I didn’t think you could handle it! I just,” the older man shrugged. “I thought you would want to join us instead.” Peter smiled. He did, he missed his family a lot. But Aunt May had been right. Once he had given his 110%, Harold Soccer Academy hadn’t been as bad as he imagined. And maybe certain people had made it worth staying. 

“I do, but I want to stick around here a little longer.”

“Because of the girl?” Peter’s eyes almost came out of his skull from how wide they went. He’d never mentioned any girl to him or Aunt May.

“Girl? What? There isn’t a girl. Who said-” He stopped at the sound of his pseudo-father’s laugh. 

“You just told me there was a girl involved by that reaction. I was  _ kidding _ but now I need to know.” Peter blushed, he had outed himself. Luckly, a voice out of frame saved him. “Sounds like Morgan is awake, so an explanation will have to wait. But I want to know everything about this girl. We’ll talk again later. Love you kid.” 

“Love you too, bye.” Peter let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding after he hung up. He walked to the locker room, changing into his practice uniforming. 

***

Practice went well, the whole team showed improvement. Abe had even helped Peter with his aim after nearly taking Coach Harrington’s head off with the ball. By the end, Peter was able to kick the ball without nearly hurting someone. 

Peter was dreaming of a hot shower when he reached for his bag on the bench but was met with nothing. He looked under the bench, each side and still nothing. He glanced around and finally saw it, right under Harry. Peter took a deep breath.

“Harry,” the black haired boy turned to him. “Can I please have my bag.”

“What bag?” he said, feigning innocence. He shifted in his seat. “Oh wait, I do feel something.” He reached underneath him, grabbing Peter’s gear bag. “You mean this? Here.” He tossed the bag, but not at Peter. The bag flew over Peter and onto a muddy puddle. Harry and his teammates laughed. Peter grabbed his bag and he felt his blood boil. 

_ Don’t do anything dumb. Don’t do anything dumb. _ A voice in his head chanted, sounding very similar to Pepper. 

_ Nah, fuck it _ a different voice said. This time sounding like Aunt May. Peter shook his bag, purposely close enough for the mud to land on Harry. The other teen gasped surprised. Peter only smiled.

“Thanks.” And walked back to his dorm, feeling satisfied.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter presents his project, clashes with Michelle, and gets caught red handed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an extra long one, an 'I'm sorry for not updating sooner last time' chapter. Enjoy! :)

**Chapter 8**

Peter sat on his desk a few days later, his back to the rest of the room, reviewing his notes for his presentation. He had spoken to Mr. Dell two days before about presenting his project the following morning. After days of reviewing and reworking, Peter was confident that his project was ready. He had done a test through with Michelle a few days ago during one of their study sessions and she had agreed with him. He was ready.

He tried to focus on his notes but couldn't help but focus on the chatter behind him. 

Without looking up, Peter spoke, “If you want to ask me something feel free to just ask.” He heard a sigh. He took off his airpods and turned around. Flash was sitting on his bed, Abe was on a desk chair next to him, and Ned sat on the floor in front of them. Peter raised an eyebrow at the group. Abe spoke first.

“What happened between you and Harry?” 

Peter rolled his eyes and closed his notes. He wasn’t surprised that word had gotten out. 

“Nothing. He was sitting on my bag, so I asked for it. He gave it. End of story.” 

Ned stood up, making his way closer to him. “I heard you through mud at him.”

“I didn’t  _ throw _ mud at him. He threw my bag in mud and I shook it clean. If he got hit with some then that’s on him.” Peter shrugged and turned back to his notes. “I wasn’t trying to argue with him. I just wanted my bag.”

“Peter,” It was Flash this time. “He’s going to try and make your life living hell, you know that right?” Peter rolled his eyes, glancing back at his friends. 

“Guys, we’re talking about a high school kid, what could he possibly do?” The three other boys all shared a look.

“Just keep an eye out.” Ned advised.

“Yeah, don’t walk any halls alone.” Abe said.

“You’re all dramatic.”

Peter realized real soon that his friends had not been being dramatic.

***

Meanwhile, a few hallways away, Harry and Betty were standing outside of the cafeteria. 

“Tell me again why you asked me to be here and not Michelle?” Betty asked. She had been doing homework when Harry had texted her. It’s not that Betty and Harry aren’t friends and haven’t hung out without Michelle before. But it didn’t happen often, so she had been slightly confused when he asked her to meet him.

Harry glanced around one last time before opening the doors. 

“Because, she was busy. So are you going to stand watch or not?” Betty huffed but stayed by the door as he walked into the cafeteria. He was in and out in less than 5 minutes. In his hand was a napkin, a few cucumbers inside.

“You had me stand look-out  _ for a snack _ ? You couldn’t Postmate like a normal person?” Harry shushed her and they made their way back to their dorms. 

_ Boys are so dumb. _

***

The next day, Peter was setting up for his presentation when Michelle walked in. She knew he was presenting today and he had gone over his project with her a few times before, but she was still excited to see it. 

She set her things on her desk and made her way over to him. She couldn’t help but check him out as she approached. He was wearing a worn out hoodie and tight dark blue jeans, Michelle tried really hard to not linger too much on the jeans. 

“Hey,” Peter jumped a little and Michelle smirked. “You ready?” He ran his fingers through his hair, something she noticed he always did when he was excited. 

“Yeah, I’m not nervous. This is something I’ve been looking forward to.” Michelle smiled.

“Right, this is your element. Well, good luck,  _ Ocean Boy _ .” Peter smiled at her and turned back to his project. Just in time, Mr. Dell called the class to order and called Peter up. 

“Hi everyone, my name’s Peter. My topic is atomic emissions and luminescence.” He handed his paper to Mr. Dell and then placed his gloves and goggles on. 

“During the pickling process, a pickle absorbs electrolytes, primarily sodium chloride. So, due to the ionic nature of the compound, sodium chloride will luminesce when hit with an electrical current. Sort of like this.” Peter connected the clamps on either side of the wires and waited. But nothing happened.

“Oh, wait. Let me just,” Peter adjusted the claps, but nothing. He could hear whispers from his classmates. He went over his mental check-list, glancing over everything.

“Mr. Parker, I expect my students to take presentations seriously and come prepared.” Mr. Dell said from beside him. Peter glanced at the teacher, noticing the look of annoyance on his face. 

“But I did.  _ I am _ , I-” But Mr. Dell cut him off.

“Take a seat Mr. Parker. I think we’ve seen enough.” Peter took a deep breath.  _ I’m not going to cry, I will  _ not  _ cry. _ He grabbed his project and took his seat. 

Mr. Dell started the lesson but Peter looked over his project.  _ I don’t understand. It was working fine this morning. _ Then Peter finally noticed the pickle, or cucumber from the looks of it. He detached the veggie and looked it over. It was a cucumber.  _ But how? _

“Looks like you found yourself in quite the _pickle_ , huh Parker.” Peter turned and found Harry smirking. Peter huffed, turning away, Ned’s warning coming to mind. 

***

“Sucks that Peter’s project was a dud.” Michelle said as she, Betty, and Harry walked out to the practice field. Harry rolled his eyes. The trio set their bags down on the bench and sat on the floor. 

“I heard about that, that’s so embarrassing.” Betty said, tying her shoes. Michelle rolled her socks down and slipped on her shin guards before rolling back her socks and grabbing her tape. 

“Maybe he should have practiced more.” Harry snared low under his breath. 

“He did, like twice a week. He showed me that project.” Michelle turned to Betty. “I saw it glow. He said the pickle-” 

“Can we please stop talking about  _ pickles _ ?” Harry shouted.

“Geez, what crawled up your ass and died.” Michelle said, continuing, ignoring Harry’s glare. “A pickle can’t just lose all of it’s electrolytes, like get de-pickled?”

“You mean like a cucumber?” Betty asked, then turned to Harry, remembering the night before. “Hey, didn’t you-” Harry cut her off.

“Are we going to practice or what?” Harry stood up, waiting for the two girls. Michelle rolled her eyes at her impatient friend, but then noticed someone sitting at a table across the field.

“Yeah, start without me. I’ll be right back.” She jogged across the field, ignoring as Harry called after her. Peter wasn’t in his workout clothes, his practice wasn’t for another hour. His failed project sat next to him. 

“Hey.” She said once she reached him. “I wanted to check if you were okay and-”

“Were you in on it.” Peter cut her off, glancing at her. His eyes were hard, he was upset. Michelle took a small step back, confused. 

“In on what?” Michelle asked, not liking his accusing tone. She crossed her arms, Her face morphing into a scowl, matching Peter’s.

“Did you know? Was all just a set up? Keeping me distracted? Pull me along for a joke?” Peter stood up, shoving all his notes back into his bag. Michelle could feel the anger radiate off him, shoulders tense. 

“Peter, I don’t know what-”

“Someone changed the pickle.” he shouted, finally meeting her eyes. “Right before the presentation. I had practice right before class, everything worked. Then you talked to me and suddenly nothing. Was it all a fucking set up? Get close to me? Ask me to help you out, only for it to blow up in my face?”

“Peter, I swear, I didn’t know.” Michelle thought back to their interaction. She hadn’t noticed anything, but her focus had been on the boy in front of her. Then, she remembered her conversation with her friends a few minutes ago. How Harry had been so quick to anger over the topic.

“I get it, okay.” Peter uttered, regaining her attention. He wasn’t looking at her and she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. “I don’t belong here. It was a mistake  _ thinking _ that I could. But my grades, Michelle? I take them  _ very seriously _ . School is important to me. I thought that was something we agreed on.”

“It is, but I-” She tries cutting in, but Peter doesn’t give her the chance.

“Clearly it’s not, if you two are willing to mess with someone's grade like that.” It pained her to see him so upset, so hurt. “I get that Harry doesn’t like me. I don’t take that personally, I learned a long time ago that not everyone will. If he wants to trip me on the field, talk about me behind my back, go ahead. But don’t mess with my work.” 

He glances away from her, taking a deep breath, trying to keep his anger under control. She can see him mulling over what to say next. She doesn’t know what to say. “But I promise,” He finally says. “I’ll stay out the way. From both of you.” He took a step away from her, Michelle reached out to stop him but he side stepped her. 

“Peter-“

“Just stay away from me.” He slung his bag over his shoulder, grabbed his project, and headed for his dorm. Michelle watches him ago, feeling worse than ever. She hears laughs from behind her, turning and spots Harry laughing along with a few of his teammates. A new wave of anger forms.

***

Once in his dorm, Peter FaceTimes Tony, no longer being able to stop the tears as they fall. His mentor answers the call after the third ring. 

“Pete?” Tony answered, eyes squinting. “What’s wrong buddy?” Tony sounded tired. He was in a dark room, the light of the FaceTime allowing a faint outline of the older man’s face.  _ Oh right _ , Peter remembers,  _ they arrived in France a few nights ago _ . His anger was gone and replaced with shame.

“Sorry, I just, I didn’t realize how late it is for you. Never mind, I’ll just-” Tony cut off his rambling, noticing the tears.

“Hey, slow down kid. Don’t be sorry, what’s wrong.” Peter took a deep breath, he could feel the tears building up again. 

“I- I want to go home. I want to be with you guys. Please” Tony felt very awake now. Peter heard shuffling, then a click of a door and the screen flickered bright. Tony had moved to the living room area of his suite. 

“What happened Peter. Why the sudden change in heart?” Peter stayed silent, debating whether he should admit everything. “Kid?” Peter looked up, his sad eyes giving everything away.

“Listen, Pete. If you really want to leave, I’ll pull you out. I won’t make you stay if you’re unhappy. But I also don’t want you to feel like running away when something bad happens is the answer. I won’t make you tell me everything. Just take a second and really think about it. If this is what you really want, then done. You’re gone. No questions asked.”

A silence fell over them, Peter’s breathing had finally evened out and the tears had stopped. Tony was right. He shouldn’t run. As much of a dick Harry was, the new friends Peter made were worth staying for. Peter thinks of Michelle, how confused she looked during their argument earlier. Did she really not know? Was shy lying to save herself or had Harry lied to her too? Shouldn’t he give himself the chance to find out?

“I’ll stay.” He finally said. Tony smiled.

“Is it wrong for me to say I sort of wish you said you wanted me to go get you?” Peter laughed, his chest feeling lighter. 

“No, I miss you too.” In an effort to make sure his kid was really feeling better, Tony stayed on the line and talked to Peter about the boring meetings he’s had to go to, but also the fun locations he’s visited with everyone when they had time. 

“And don’t worry kid. Morgan has made sure to get you something at each location we’ve gone to.” Considering Morgan was barely a year old, Peter had a sneak suspicion someone else was behind buying him souvenirs.

Peter was so into his call with Tony, he didn’t hear his roommates come in.

“Looks like you’ve got company, Pete.” Peter turned and saw all three roommates standing behind him, their jaws dropped. Peter paled, turning back to his phone. Tony, of course, was smiling wide. He even waved.

“Uh, I’ve got to go Tony. Talk to you later.”

“What? Embarrassed by your old ma-” Peter hung up the call before he could finish. No one said anything for a minute. But then Flash broke the silence.

“I knew it!” The boy shouted. “I fucking knew it!” He jumped, pumping his fist into the air.

“You didn’t know shit, Flash.” Abe said, recovering from the shock and set his school bag on his bed.

“No, I did! I knew you looked familiar! You were in the background of Pepper Potts 73 Questions with Vogue! In a photo, look.” Flash sat on his bed and pulled up the video on his phone. All the boys gather around him to watch. 

Peter remembers when this was taken, he had to stay in his room and be quiet while they filmed. He had offered not going over at all, but Pepper insisted that it wouldn’t take long. Peter did find it funny that Tony wasn’t even allowed in the tower until after the shoot. 

Flash fast forwarded the video, playing then pausing it when Pepper entered the kitchen. Behind her, on the shelf by the fridge and on the fridge, were two photos. The framed picture on the shelf was of Peter and Tony after he had officially accepted his internship position. His school had a hard time believing the internship, not that Peter blamed them, it was hard to believe when spoken out loud. So the photo was taken as proof, Pepper had insisted on keeping a copy. The other photo, the one held on the fridge by a magnet, was slightly blurry, but Peter could easily make it out. In the photo, Peter is standing in front of the Universal sign with the power couple from his second trip to LA.

The group was quiet for a few seconds, processing the new information. Abe at one point took the phone from Flash (Hey!) and zoomed in. 

“I don’t know what’s weirder,” Ned begins. “Peter being a secret Stark or Flash having Pepper Pott’s 72 Question interview saved on his phone.”

“The video.” Peter grumbles as he walks back to his desk chair.

“So you’re the secret love child of Tony stark?  _ The _ Tony Stark.” Ned leans against his bed, a hand over his chest. He looked so excited, Peter was scared he was about to faint.

“I’m not his secret love child.” Peter explained. “I’m his personal intern.”

“Impossible.” Flash locked his phone, tossed it on his bed and crossed his arms. “SI won't hire high school kids, I would know 'cause I’ve tried applying.” Peter rolled his eyes. He used to get questioned all the time at school, mostly from teachers surprisingly.

“I know, but I’m the exception. I work  _ personally _ for Mr. Stark, not the company.” Abe finally moved from where he was standing, taking a seat next to Flash on his bed.

“How did you get the job?” He asked. “If it wasn’t through the company? I doubt someone as rich as Tony Stark placed a craigslist ad.” Peter snorted.

“No ad. I won a few science fairs and got to present my project at the Stark Expo. That’s how I met Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts. They really liked my project and a few weeks later, I was at the Tower. And it’s more of an internship, I technically don’t get paid.”

“Technically?” Ned questioned.

“Yeah, I get school credit.” He explained, remembering the process. It took longer than it should have since his school didn’t seem to believe him. His counselor went as far as accusing him of forging the paperwork. “Instead of taking Auto shop, I help Mr. Stark in the lab for a few hours a week.” Flash still looked unconvinced. “Listen, whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. I’m really not his love child. Morgan Stark is the only child. But I’ve interned for Mr. Stark for two years now, he’s my mentor. We’re close. But if word gets out of my connections to him, my life will be harder than it already is.” 

Even though he has interned for two years now, most of the world doesn’t know he exists. Peter is as hidden as Morgan is to the public. May wants Peter to be at least 18 before he can be a more public figure within the company and both Tony and Pepper have agreed. All the SI works have signed an NDA for his safety. Most of them gladly signed after meeting him, how could you not.

“But why not? You could be the most popular guy here, in the whole world!” Ned protested.

“I don’t want to be the most popular guy.” Peter shrugged. Flash rolled his eyes.

“Now you’re just speaking crazy.”

“So, you just, call Tony Stark whenever?” Abe asked. Peter glanced down at his phone, he got a text from Tony.

_ Miss you kid. I’m glad you’re staying. Tell your friends I say hello if you’re not to embarrassed of me :P _

Peter smiled down at the text.  “Yeah, pretty much.” He sent a quick text back.

**_Not embarrassed, just making sure they keep their mouths shut. They think I’m your son._ **

_ You are. _

Peter’s heart swelled at the message.

“That’s so cool.” Ned said with a dazed smile.

“Just promise you won't say anything?” Peter pleaded. Ned and Abe agreed. Peter turned to Flash. “What about you Flash? Promise?” Flash took a second to think. Peter couldn’t figure out if he was being serious or dramatic.

“Throw in a couple of autographs and you have a deal.” Peter smiled,  _ Tony would get a laugh out of this _ .

“Deal.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a plan and the gang gets news on a special guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments! makes me smile each time:D!   
> Not much MJ in this one, sorry:/ but she'll be back soon!

**Chapter 9**

At the start of the fourth week, Peter had a new sense of focus. He wouldn’t let the situation with Harry ruin his time here. He promised Aunt May he would give it 110% so he would. Their time at the school was coming to an end which meant the tournament was getting closer, and Peter had a plan. They were all sitting at lunch when he told his roommates his plan.

“I’ve been thinking about the tournament.” Peter said before taking a bite of his food. “I think I came up with a good plan to win.” Flash snorted, almost choking on his soda.

“I know you’re a nerd and all Parker and like to prep everything down to a T, but there is no way we could _ place  _ in the tournament, let alone win.” Peter’s shoulder slumped at his words, but he wasn’t going to lose hope. 

“Come on, Flash. Don’t you have faith in us?” Abe asked him. Flash turned to his friend, his face blank, “No.”

“Just listen.” Peter said, getting back their attention. “Fine, maybe we won’t win, but I do have a plan that can get us close if we practice enough.” 

Ned, who had been half listening, half busy with his phone and food, set both items down. “I’m all ears. What is it?”

“Well, Ned, you love to organize, right?” Peter asked, his friend nodded, not knowing where Peter was going with this. “Think you can work with Mr. Harrington and organize his playbook?” Ned smiled widely. 

“Are you kidding? That man needs my help more than anyone. The binder is always dropping papers. I’d love to do it, plan or no plan.” Peter smiled back.

“Perfect! Abe, you have the best technique on the team, you helped me fix my aim in basically a day. Would you mind helping the rest of the team? Maybe, being our captain? Officially?” Peter knew Abe could smile big, but the smile on his face currently was the biggest he’s ever seen.

“I would be  _ honored _ .” Peter turns to Flash.

“Flash, I know you have connections and the resources, so what do you think about getting us newer, cooler uniforms?” The other teen smiled widely. 

“Oh fuck yes. I’m in.”

“What about you Peter?” Ned asked. “What are you going to help with?” Peter reached into his bag that was set on the floor next to him. He rummaged through his stuff before pulling out a green folder. 

“Have you guys heard of Magnus Force?” He asked as he flipped through pages, he boys shook their heads.

“Sounds like a super power.” Abe said as Peter found the page he was looking for. It didn’t look like much to the other boys, but clearly it was important to what Peter was trying to explain.

“Sort of, Magnus Force describes how a spinning cylinder or sphere,  _ or ball _ , moves through the air. Depending on which side you kick and the force you apply, you create unequal drag on the upper and lower surfaces of the ball. Which causes it to arc one way or the other. In layman’s terms, it’s how ‘Beckham bends it.’” The boys laughed, as Peter continued. “So, my theory is, if you calculate the variable in your head, you can figure out when and how to kick the ball to get it in every time.” Peter passed them the notebook, which Abe took hold of, sharing it with Ned. Flash didn’t bother glancing at it. After living with the guy for a month, he learned to trust whatever science spiel Peter tells them about. Just nod and smile.

“We should go tell Mr. Harrington and the rest of the team.” Ned said, handing back the notebook. “If we want a good shot of this, we’ll have to start asap.” All four boys finished their food and made their way to the coach’s office. Peter tugged Abe, making them fall behind a few steps.

“Hey Abe, um, do you mind giving me some extra lessons every day? After practice? I know I need it, but I’d understand it you-” Abe stopped his rambling. 

“Of course man. Don’t worry.” Peter smiled at his friend and the two scurried along to catch up to the others. 

***

After explaining their plan to both the team and Mr. Harrington, Peter felt more excited than ever during his time at Harold. 

After their longest and hardest practice yet, the four friends decided to order food and eat on one of the tables outside by the field. They were all scrolling on their phones quietly eating. Peter was scrolling through all the new pictures Tony had sent him of Morgan when Ned gasped. All of the boys turned to the boy, their curiosity peaked. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Abe asked, only to have Ned hand him his phone. Abe read something and then shouted. “No way!” Flash took the phone next.

“Megan Rapinoe is coming!” he shouted. “ _The_ Megan Rapino is coming _!_ ”

“Who?” Peter asked, trying to understand why this was a big deal. He tried thinking of anyone he may know about with the name, but none come to mind. 

“Megan. Rapinoe.” Flash shouted. “Only one of  _ the _ best players right now. She’s on the Women’s US team, which won their  _ fourth _ title this past year. This is huge.”

“She’s coming to the tournament and will be handing the trophy to the winning team. How amazing is that?” Ned said, taking his phone back. 

At that moment, Harry and a few of his teammates walked by their table. Harry wasn’t looking their way, but he was clearly speaking loud enough for the boys and everyone else outside to hear him.

“Yeah, I’ve met Megan before.” He stated with a shoulder shrug. “My Dad got me tickets to the game where they won their last title. He even hosted a victory party on his yacht for them. They let me hold the trophy.” he bragged.

“Ugh, no one cares.” Peter mumbled, but apparently loud enough for Harry to hear.

“What was that Parker? Want to repeat that to my face.” He egged him. Ned gave him a warning look, but Peter ignored it. He was tired of Harry, he wouldn’t be like the others at the program. He won’t play along just to help tame Harry’s ego.

“Yeah,” He stood up from his seat, his friends following his lead. “No one. Cares. Hear me now? Everyone knows you’re just trying to show and flaunt that you have money, trying to look cool. But really? You just look like a stuck up douche.” Harry’s face was red with anger.

“That’s a bit hypocritical coming from you though, isn’t it? Not only are you terrible at playing the game, but your  _ Daddy _ had to pay for you to stay. No matter how much money your family drops, you’re still a loser. If anyone is jealous, it’s you  _ Parker _ .” Peter balled his fist at his side. As much as the words sting, he wouldn’t show it. He wouldn't give Harry that satisfaction.

“Well, I guess this loser just has to kick your ass on the field and show you what a real winner looks like.” Harry scoffed.

“I’ve seen you out on the field,  _ Ocean Boy _ , you’ll be lucky to even make contact with a ball, let alone score.” Harry spat out the nickname like it was expired milk. No one but MJ could call him that.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Harry laughs, finally taking a step back. 

“You’re delusional. I think you’ve been exposed to one too many chemicals in your lab.” Peter moves to take a step forward before he feels a hand on his shoulder hold him back. It’s Abe, and he shakes his head at him. 

“Okay everyone.” Ned says. “I think we all need to take a breath.” 

“Whatever, let’s go guys.” Harry and his crew leave. Abe guides Peter back to his seat.

“Well,” Abe says after a few seconds. “That escalated quickly.”

“I thought you were going to kick his ass, Parker. That would have been fun to watch.” Flash said with a laugh. 

“I’m just sick of his entitled ass. Who cares if his parents were musicians or movie stars or whatever? Just don’t be a dick.”

“His father actually owns a high tech company.” Ned supplied.

“I don’t care if his father was James Peebles.” Peter retorted.

“Who?” Asked Flash.

“James Peebles? He got the Nobel Peace Prize last year in physics for his theoretical work in physical cosmology?”

“Just google it later, he’s on a roll.” Abe whispered to Flash.

“I’m not going to put up with his crap anymore.” Peter said, taking one last bit of his food before tossing it away. 

“Where are you going now?” Ned asked.

“To practice. I’ll see you all in the dorm.” Ned was about to shout after him, but Abe stopped him. 

“Let him go, he needs some alone time.” Ned understood, Peter needed to work off some steam. They sat there, finishing their food when Flash mumbled, “I still would have liked to see him kick Osborn’s ass.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Megan Rapinoe had been my first choice from the beginning, but then I though I should pick a soccer player from the Men's US soccer team. Then I remembered that the men's US soccer team ain't sh*t compared to the women's team so I kept Megan lol.
> 
> Leave a comment/kudos :)
> 
> Stay safe!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle confronts Harry.

**Chapter 10**

Michelle has never been good at opening up and voicing her feelings. Rarely does she ever address her issues with anyone. She’ll gladly call out people on their bullshit, but to help others, not herself. She was the type of person to take out her frustration on the field, reflect, and then move on. 

Which is why she was making her way to the practice fields at 8pm.

Betty had offered to join her, but Michelle reassured her that it was fine. “Go find Ned, I’ll be okay, promise.” 

Many kids at Harold were very focused on bettering their skills while here, so naturally many stay on the field late for some extra practice time. So it wasn’t unheard of for a few others to be out this late. However, Peter Parker was the last person she would have expected to see.

Since their disagreement, Peter hadn’t spoken to her. Michelle had gone back to her practice with the intentions of talking to Harry about it, but chickened out last second. 

_ What proof did Parker have? Am I really going to get into a fight with my best friend over a guy? Especially a guy I’ve only known for three weeks? Harry would never do what Peter was implying. He couldn’t have. _

Since Michelle and Peter talked to each other less and no longer met for their chemistry tutoring sessions, Harry seemed more relaxed. So maybe things worked out for the better.

But as Michelle looked out at Peter practicing on his own, she got a feeling in her gut that she couldn’t ignore. An unexplained feeling that made her want to be close to him. She had to speak to him. 

She made her way to the field where Peter was practicing his corner kicks. He’s come a long way in four weeks, but he was still learning. Even now, his kick was powerful, but his foot placement was wrong.

“You’re not placing your foot in the right spot.” She called out after another miss. Peter turned to her. She could see his eyes go from surprise to anger to sadness. She held up her hands. 

“I’m not here to fight, just talk.” Peter walked over to pick up his ball. Michelle took his silence as a yes. Once she was close enough, Peter sat on the grass, gesturing for her to join him.

“Fine. Go ahead.” His tone was even and Michelle decided that she didn’t like this Peter. He was too cold and so different from the boy who explained glow-in-the-dark pickles to her. 

“Look, I understand that having a failed experiment in front of the class was not the best thing in the world. But I want to make it clear that I didn’t have anything to do with it Peter. I swear. My friendship with you has always been real.” Peter looked at her, trying to see if she was lying but only saw sincerity. 

“I know Harry hasn’t been the nicest guy to you,” Michelle continued. “but I don’t think he did anything to your experiment. I take schooling very seriously too, we both do. I know Harry, he’s been my best friend for years. He would never-”

“Did you ask him?” Peter asks, cutting her off. Michelle goes quiet and glances down at the ball between them. “Because I heard him and Betty talking about it.” Michelle glanced up, meeting his eyes. 

“No, I didn’t. But he wouldn't do that, Harry-” 

“But he did.” Peter stood up. He could see the mix of conflicting feelings rushing over Michelle. Harry might have been a dick to him, but seeing how confused and hurt Michelle looked right now made Peter realized that he hadn’t been the one to get hurt in this situation. 

“I’m over the situation, really.” He admits. “I already spoke to Mr. Dell, he let me re-do the presentation to him yesterday after class.” He offered her a hand which she accepted. Once they were both up, Peter grabbed his ball and looked at her once more.

“I get that he’s your best friend. I’m sure he’s nothing but great to you. Just, don’t make excuses for him, Michelle.” With that, Peter walked back to his dorm.

Michelle stayed on the field of a while longer. She had kicked the ball a few times but eventually found herself sat, thinking over everything Peter had told her, everything that’s happened the past week. Needing answers, she called Betty. 

If Peter was telling the truth, she would need a few more concrete facts from a reliable source before confronting Harry.

Betty, bless her, spilled the beans almost immediately. She explained how Harry had asked her randomly one night, asking for her help. How he needed her to keep watch while he got the cucumbers. She explained that she originally had just wanted a weird late night snack, but connected everything the next day after learning about Peter’s presentation.

“I didn’t tell you because I thought he told you, and that’s why you and Peter had argued. I wouldn’t have helped him if I had known his plan beforehand.” Her friend explained. “But you need to understand that he only did it to protect you MJ. Good intention, shitty plan.” Michelle scoffed. 

“Yeah, shitty plan for sure. Thanks Betty, I’ll see you in the room later.” She ended the call before Betty could reply and made her way to the dorms. 

She went down the familiar route to Harry’s room, giving the door a heavy knock. She didn’t want to fight, but she needed him to tell her the truth. No matter how hard it was.

“Chelle! Hey, what are you doing here?” He opened the door with a smile, Michelle didn’t return it.

“Can we talk?” She glanced at the other guys in the room before looking back at him. “Alone?” Harry nodded and asked his friends to leave. Harry had always had his own room at Harold and any other school he attended, thanks to his dad.

Once everyone was gone, he took a seat on his bed, patting the space next to him for her to join. Michelle sat on the desk chair across from him instead.

“So, what’s up?” He could tell she wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t sure why. She had seemed like her regular self earlier today. Since she stopped hanging out with Parker, Harry felt like he finally had his old friend back. 

“Did you replace the pickle in Peter’s project.” Michelle jumped right in. Harry froze for a second, but quickly composed himself. It was so quick, no one else would have noticed the slip, but Michelle did. 

“What? No that’s ridiculous. Did he tell you that? MJ, come on. You know me better than that.” Michelle shook her head.

“Yeah, Harry. I thought I did. Which is why I told Peter he was wrong.” Harry relaxed, smiling at her.

“See, that guy is just trying-”

“Which is why I asked Betty.” She continued. Harry’s smile dropped. “He said he overheard you two talking about it. So I called her. I’m going to ask you one more time Harry. Did you swap the pickle for a cucumber?” 

“This is ridiculous. I don’t understand why we need to go over this Michelle. You know-”

“Answer. The questions.” The two friends held eye contact for a long time before Harry looked away first.

“Fine, I did. But I did it for you!” Screwed her eyes shut, running a hand over her face.

“Oh god Harry. Why would you- how is ruining someone’s project,  _ they’re grade _ , have anything to do with me?” Michelle was up now, pacing back and forth. Trying to understand and calm herself.

“He is a distraction Michelle. Since he got here he has been pulling your attention away from what really matters.” Harry was up too now, reaching out to her but Michelle only shrugged him off.

“How is Peter tutoring me in chemistry a distraction? Have I missed any of my practices? Have I lost any of the practice games? Hm? Have I?” Harry looked down at his shoes.

“No.” Michelle grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“Then explain to me how  _ you _ interfering with my friend’s project had anything to do with  _ me _ .” Michelle dropped her hand and waited for an answer.

“Because you can’t risk anything Michelle!” Harry shouted, his face red. “You’re great at soccer, but you’re only a girl. You know how hard it is for girls to make it big in sports? I had to beg my Dad to get recruiters to your school next season for you and-” Harry suddenly stopped, his eyes wide. Michelle looked at him in horror, quickly morphing into anger.

“No, wait. MJ, Michelle, that came out wrong. I-” He backtracked, reaching out for his friend but she took several steps back.

“You- you paid people to go see me?” Michelle didn’t try to hide the tears that began to fall. “So what? Should I even bother training? Was I ever good enough, Harry? Did you ever actually believe in me?” Harry winced at how defeated his best friend sounded.

“No, Michelle, of course you’re good enough! You’re the best there is. I just wanted to make sure other people saw that. Which is why Parker needs to stay away from you.” Michelle gave a humorless laugh, turning to leave.

“The only person who needs to stay away from me, is you.” Harry tried stopping her, but Michelle had always been faster than him.

Harry grabbed one of his textbooks, throwing it against the wall.

“Fuck!”

***

After crying in the shower and sleeping, Michelle felt slightly less worse the next day. She was still very angry, but at least now she wouldn’t kill anyone. Mostly just glare at everyone.

Betty could tell her two friends had a bad fall out, mostly because Michelle dragged them away from Harry every time he made his way towards them. She made sure to keep her friend distracted with gossip about the other people at the program. Betty even told the other girl how Ned had finally gone up to her last night after dinner and asked for her number.

“So are you two like, a thing?” Michelle asked her at lunch. Betty glanced over at the other teen who was sitting a few tables away with his own roommates. They shared a smile before she turned back to her friend.

“No, just talking. But I’m okay with that. I want to get to know him more before the end of the summer.”

Chemistry had been an awkward class. Michelle had waited until the last possible minute to walk in. She walked in quickly, taking the seat closest to the door and on the opposite side of the room, away from the two boys. 

She could feel Harry’s eyes on her, but she ignored him. When class ended, she made a beeline for the girls locker room. She ignored Harry as he called out for her.

At practice, Betty and Michelle noticed the F Team seemed more motivated on the field. For the last few days, they seemed to have kicked it up a notch. 

Betty noticed her friend glancing over to one player specifically. She teased her friend, encouraged her to go over and ask the boy about the team’s new found motivation.

“He’s still not speaking to me, so I don’t think that would be a good idea.” The curly haired teen mumbled out.

“I’ll admit, I was worried about you getting distracted with him. But after two weeks of you two flirting, I realized that he was good for you. You know, helping you with chem. But, he also makes you smile a lot more, which I didn’t even know your face could do that more than twice a year.” MJ gives her a playful shove.

“Yeah well, none of that matters now. Harry made sure Peter would never talk to me again.” Betty catches the ball Michelle had tosses for a perfect header. “Betty, what the hell.”

“Oh fuck Harry.” Betty shouts exasperated, ignoring her friend’s protest and the stares from their other teammates. “I love the guy but he always thinks it’s his way or the highway. If you like Peter, even if just as a friend, then do something about it. But don’t stand here and mope. We need you at your best for the tournament.” The captain tossed the ball back to her friend.

“Thanks, Betty.” She gave her friend a small smile before tossing the ball back.

“That’s what I’m here for babe. Now, back to practice.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ and Peter talk.

**Chapter 11**

Peter was laying face down on the floor of his dorm, his limbs spread out like a starfish.

As promised, Abe had been practicing with him for an extra hour every day after practice. The whole team has been improving, which Peter was proud of. But the boy still had a ways to go if he wanted to be anywhere as good as the rest of his team. 

Ned was sitting at his desk, working on homework when he called out to his friend. “Come on Pete, Flash is almost out of the shower.” 

“Leave me here to die.” Peter mumbled, his words muffled by the floor. Ned snorted, rolling his eyes at the dramatics of his friend. 

Abe, who was sitting on his bed, was about to toss his nerf football at Peter’s head when a knock on their door stopped him. Seeing as none his friends made any move to get the door, he stepped over Peter to open it. 

“Michelle, hi.” Ned turned to look back at the door just as Peter rolled over and sat up. He hadn’t heard Abe wrong, the young girl was in fact at the door. She glanced over Abe’s shoulder towards Peter.

“Hi, I was wondering if Peter would go on a walk with me.” Abe stepped aside and turned to his friend. Peter stood, looking at his friends. Ned only shrugged and Abe gave him a look that could only be interpreted as  _ go stupid _ .

“Yeah, just um, let me grab my shoes.” Peter quickly slipped on his sneakers before following the girl out. 

Michelle didn’t say anything as she led them out of the dorm area. Peter kept glancing over at her as they walked, trying to see if her face would give away anything. But Michelle’s face was emotionless, providing no clue as to what she might be thinking. They finally reach the table area by the empty fields. Michelle sits on one of the benches, Peter taking a seat on the bench across from her.

“So,” Peter mumbles out, unsure of what to say but hating the uneasy quietness that hangs over them..

“I spoke to him.” Michelle says, taking over. “Harry. I um, I owe you an apology.” She reaches over hesitantly, placing one hand over Peter’s on the table. “I made excuses for him and didn’t believe you. He may be my friend, but I should have been a better friend to both of you, by listening to both sides and calling him out sooner. So, I’m sorry.” Peter gave her hand a squeeze, causing her to look up and meet his eyes.

“I forgive you.” He said with a small smile.

“Really? Because I’m not sure I would.” She said with an awkward laugh, shifting just a bit close to his side. 

“Yeah, I get it.” Peter continued. “Harry is, he’s your best friend. No one wants to believe their friend is, well you know.” Peter said, not wanting to insult him in front of her.

“A dick?” Michelle offered with a chuckle. 

“Yeah, that.” They hadn’t let go of each other's hands. Peter now had his other hand on the table and Michelle took the executive decision of taking hold of his other hand. She noticed his cheeks go red but decided not to embarrass him by pointing it out. 

“Harry has been my best friend since we were seven.” She said after a while. Peter had started playing with her hands, tracing up and down her fingers. “We went to the same elementary school. He was the only boy who would play soccer with me.” She said with a laugh, remembering how amazed little Harry was of her. “Said he didn’t know girls could play. We were inseparable after.” Peter didn’t interrupt, understanding that she needed this. Just needed to be heard.

“He got sent to a boarding school for middle school. An  _ all boys _ boarding school. It was less than thirty minutes away from home but his dad still made him live at the school. Harry hated it. But on the weekends, he would go visit me. His dad found out that he was sneaking out so, after a year, he got sent to another boarding school, here in California. It’s how Harry learned about Harold Academy.” Michelle sat up a bit straighter, and Peter shifted closer. Close enough for their knees to touch.

“He convinced both of our parents to let us join. My parents said no at first, but eventually caved. And it sucked not seeing each other during the year, but at least we had the summer.” Michelle glanced down at their hands, and Peter could sense her go stiff.

“Then, um, my dad got sick.” She sniffled. Peter untangled their hands and pulled her in for a hug. “He’s doing better now, but it was scary at first. Harry stood by me the whole time. Even booked a flight and came to see me when I first told him. He’s the reason I was able to back this year.” Michelle leaned back a bit, but didn’t fully pull away from the hug. “Because of the medical bills, my parents said I couldn’t come this summer but Harry stepped in. Had his dad pay for me.”

“I’m sorry about your dad, I know how hard it is to lose, to lose a parent. I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that.” Peter spoke for the first time since she opened up. Michelle had a concerned look so he explained. “My parents, they um, they died when I was six.” 

Michelle looked at him shocked. “Peter, I- you don’t have to.” Peter shook his head.

“No, I want to.” She waited for him to continue. “I was so young, I really don’t remember much of what happened at the time. It’s the feelings I remember mostly. Just, nothing but sadness and pain. I ended up living with my Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Which was great,  _ they’re _ great. But then three years ago, Uncle Ben. He-” Peter felt himself choke up. Michelle pulled him back in for a hug. “He died and that, that fucking sucked.” He said with a humourless laugh. “And I thought for sure the world was out to get me. But then, a year later, I met Tony.” Peter pulled away from the hug, pulling out his phone, glancing down at his lockscreen. “And then, um, his wife Virginia. And they welcomed me and my aunt into their family. And now I have Morgan and this big family I thought I’d never get again.” He turns the phone and shows Michelle. The picture was of a two month old Morgan, fast asleep on Peter’s chest, who was also asleep on the couch. Michelle giggled at the photo.

“Life can suck.” He mumbled, but Michelle only glanced up at him and smiled.

“It can suck so much. But there’s also good times, really good times.” Peter looks at Michelle, glanced down at her lips before looking at her eyes again. He’s not sure who leans first, all he knows is that he pulled her in for a second kiss. 

Michelle’s lips are softer than he thought they would be, they felt nice and cold against his. She placed a hand at the base of his neck, keeping him close. He had one hand on her waist, pulling her as close to him as he could. 

They eventually do pull away and Peter can’t stop the smile that appears

“Shut up.” Michelle says, giving him a light shove but she also can’t fight back her own smile.

“I didn’t say anything.” He says, grabbing her hand, lacing their fingers together. She glances down at their hands before looking back up at him.

“I like you, Peter.” She says, and Peter smiles wider if possible.

“I like you too, Michelle.” She leans over and gives him another kiss, this one quicker than the last two but still as amazing.

“MJ, my friends call me MJ,  _ Ocean Boy _ .”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ get questioned by their friends, Peter is teased, and Harry talks to MJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my longest chapters yet! Enjoy :)

**Chapter 12**

After kissing Michelle goodbye (which took longer than either would admit), Peter felt like he was walking on air. Michelle likes him, she  _ kissed _ him. A girl  _ kissed _ him. Multiple times. Because she  _ likes him _ .

_ MJ _ , he reminded himself.  _ She said to call her MJ. _

When he opened the door to his dorm, he found all three roommates sitting around Flash’s bed, phones in hands. They all quickly got up, asking questions all at once.

“Did she beat you up?”

“Was Harry there? Did  _ he _ beat you up?

“Did she mention anything about me and Betty?”

Peter ignored them at first, walking over to his trunk and searched for clean clothes. They kept pestering so he finally turned to them.

“Nobody hit anybody and Harry wasn’t there.” Peter shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it all, but his rosy cheeks and ears gave him away. “We just talked.”

Abe walked over to him, blocking the door. He looked at him intensely before walking around him, analyzing him. 

“Wait a minute.” Abe ruffled his hair and shoved him lightly. “You two  _ kissed _ .” Peter pushed passed him towards the bathroom. The quicker he got to the shower, the easier it would be to hide the blush. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

***

Peter had walked MJ to her dorm before heading back to his own room. She had insisted that it wasn’t necessary, but after he gave her another kiss, she didn’t hate the idea so much. 

Betty was of course waiting for her. She all but ran into her, trying to get a glimpse of Peter who was already too far down the hall. 

“Betty,” She pulled her friend inside. “What the hell?” The blonde tugged MJ towards her own bed, demanding details.

“What happened? Did you two talk? Did he forgive you? I mean, he walked you back so he’s not mad at you right? Did he believe you? Should I talk to him? I don’t mind telling him how I was unintentionally involved. I should apologize. I’ll text Ned right now, Peter-” MJ pushes her friend's phone down, stopping her rambling and gaining her attention.

“Don’t text Ned. And yes, Peter forgave me. We talked, I apologized to him which was so damn awkward but very necessary. I even cried.” Betty blinked at her, mouth wide open.

“You  _ cried _ ?” Of the three years that she knew MJ, Betty has only ever seen her cry once, and only after breaking her wrist last year.  _ She must really like this guy _ .

“Yeah,” Michelle continued. “We both did. I told him about my dad.” The younger girl hugged her, knowing first hand that family life was a topic MJ didn’t bring up often. “He also told me a bit about his family.” She mumbled into her friend’s shoulder.

“So it was a good talk?” Betty asked.

“Yeah, a great talk.” Michelle released her from the hug before standing up. “I should shower. I still have homework to do before bed.” She gathered her clothes before finally making her way to the shower. She placed her hair in a tight bun and placed her shower cap over. The hot water against her tensed muscles felt great after a long, emotional day. Michelle took her time scrubbing away the stress from the day. Once back, she was met with a pillow to the face.

“Betty!” She yelled in shock. She placed her shower caddy down and tossed her dirty clothes into her hamper.

“YOU TWO KISSED!” Michelle winced. Betty approached her, another pillow in her hands. “You kissed and  _ didn’t tell me _ ” Betty said, hitting her with the pillow after every word.

“Ow! Okay,  _ okay _ .” The goalie finally stopped and placed her pillow down. She flopped onto MJ’s bed, pouting while hugging her weapon tight. She looked up at her friend, eyes wide.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Michelle sighed, sitting down next to her friend on the bed. 

“I’m sorry, I should have. I’m still wrapping my head around it. Did Ned tell you?” The other girl nodded her head.

“Yeah, apparently Peter just blushed and ran for the bathroom when Abe pieced it together.” MJ laughed to herself, easily imagining Peter’s red blushing face. “So are you two a thing now?”

Michelle shrugged, not really knowing the answer but hoping. “Um, king of? We didn’t really talk about it.”

“What do you mean?” Michelle fiddled with the comb in her hand.

“Like I said, I apologized, about everything. And then told him about my family and my friendship with Harry. He brought up his family and then, I don’t know. We just kissed. We hadn’t really planned it. It just felt right.” Michelle glanced at her friend.

“Do you  _ want _ to be together?” Michelle shrugged, but Betty could see the blush growing on her cheeks.

“I mean, yeah. I do. Of course I do.” Betty squealed, pulling her in for a hug. “I like Peter,” She clarified once Betty had let her go. “It’s really hard not to. But we also just met. I’ve known the guy for a month. I don’t want to rush things”

“But you’re both from New York.” Her friend reminded her. They were from the same state, sure. And in the same city, but different neighborhoods. And the neighborhoods in New York were very different to the one’s Betty was used to.

“Yeah, I guess I just want to take things slow. We live near each other, which helps, but we still go to separate schools. Seeing each other is still a commute. Plus, with the whole Harry thing...” Michelle took a pause, thinking everything over. “I want to take it slow, like you and Ned.”

“I get it. So, what are you going to do about Harry? Are you going to talk to him? ” Michelle sighed dramatically before throwing herself back onto her bed. 

“Ugh, I don’t know. I’m mad at him, like,  _ really _ mad Betty. But he’s also my best friend. He’s been by my side through everything. I know his intentions were good, but that doesn’t mean my feelings aren’t valid.”

“Of course. You two just need some space, the questions are: how much space and for how long. But I’m sure you two can get through this. You know you can’t stay mad at him forever.”

“Yeah, but it’s different this time.” Michelle said, turning on her bed and closing her eyes, taking a deep breath and wishing life was easier. “He didn’t just hurt me. He used me to hurt someone else I care about, lied, and then tried justifying it. I just don’t know what to do.” 

***

Peter could only hide in the shower for so long. He knew his friends were waiting for him, there was no point in dragging it out any further. Once he was changed and gathered everything, he went back to his dorm. As predicted, his friends all glanced over at him the second he walked back in.

“No more hiding Parker, talk.” Flash said. Peter put away his stuff and noticed a white box on the bed. He turned and realized all his friends had a white box on their laps. Ned answered his unspoken question.

“We figured you would be a while in the shower, so we ordered food. Thai, I got your favorite, chicken fried rice and yellow beef curry.” Peter thanked him and sat at his desk to eat.

“Okay,” he said after a few bites, not realizing how hungry he was until that moment. “I guess there's no reason to lie. You were right Abe, we kissed.” the three boys cheered and whistled. 

“So I guess the talk went great, huh.” Flash teased.

“The talk was good. She explained everything, she hadn’t known about the project tampering. That had been all Harry. But she did apologize for making excuses for him. We also talked about our families.”

“And then you two tried devouring each other’s faces.” Abe said with a laugh. The others joined him and Peter kept eating, trying not the blush.

“We didn’t- I- We didn’t  _ make out _ .” He stuttered out.

“But you definitely kissed more than once.” Ned interrupted. Peter only blushed harder, causing the others to laugh more.They left him alone after that, letting him enjoy his food without being teased. 

Once he was done, Peter excused himself, making his way to the common area. Thankfully, he found the area empty. Placing his airpods in, he called his Aunt May via FaceTime. To his surprise, she didn’t answer.  _ She’s probably in the bathroom or something _ , Peter thought, not thinking much of it. He called Pepper instead, assuming the two were together. He’s pretty sure Aunt May had mentioned that they would be exploring Paris together since they were leaving the next day. 

To Peter’s surprise, all three Starks greeted him once. They had a bright blue sky behind them, a contrast to the night sky shown through the window behind Peter. Peter could make out a building behind them.  _ Is that the Eiffel Tower? _

“Petey!” Morgan cheered. Peter smiled back at her. He missed the little girl so much. Seeing her get excited to see him felt reassuring.

“Hi Mo, are you having fun?” The one-year-old only babled back happily. He took that as a yes. “How but Mom and Dad? How are you guys? How’s the city of love?” Tony laughed, which isn't necessarily bad, but Peter felt like he laughed a little too hard considering Peter wasn't trying to be funny. He was teasing, sure, but he didn’t expect such a strong reaction. Pepper didn’t seem fazed. 

“Great! I always love coming to Paris. It’s been fun showing Morgan around. You know your sister, always trying to grab everything.” 

“Yeah, she’s definitely a curious kid, get it from her Dad.” Tony smiles down at the phone proudly. “You bet your ass she does.” 

Peter snorted as Pepper chided the older man. “No cursing in front of Morgoona, she’s at the stage where she’ll repeat anything.” She turned back to Peter.

“How are you Peter? Tony mentioned that you were a bit down earlier this week.” Peter wasn’t offended that Tony had told her. He learned long ago that the pair told each other practically everything, especially when it came to him. 

“Things are much better. I uh, I actually have some news for you guys. Is Aunt May with you guys? I tried calling but she didn’t answer.” Peter isn’t sure what he expected, but Tony laughing was not it. Tony wasn’t just laughing, he was laughing hard and doubled over. It was awfully body kind of laugh. Pepper adjusted her hold on Morgan, who giggled along with her Dad, not knowing what was so funny but wanting to laugh along with her Dad. Peter asked for his aunt and could tell by Tony’s laugh that something was up.

“Tony, stop. This isn’t funny.” Pepper scolded her husband.

“You’re right,” Tony said, taking a deep breath and wiping away a tear. “It’s about to be ten times better once Peter finds out where Aunt Hottie is. Or better yet,  _ who _ she’s with.” Tony giggled. Peter then realized who else was missing from the group. His eyes widened in horror.

“Pepper,” Peter said, his voice even, trying to remain calm. “Where’s Happy?” His question only brought on another wave of laughter for Tony. Pepper was clearly trying not to laugh, but Peter knew her better than that. They didn’t have to answer, their lack of answer was enough. He felt sick.

“Oh god.” Peter closed his eyes. “This is not happening. This  _ is not _ happening.” Pepper tries to distract Peter from having a meltdown by asking him why he had called. She passes Morgan to her Dad, trying to get him to calm down and refocus.

“You said you had some news for us?” Peter swallowed the vomit that was threatening to come out.

“Yes. I, uh, I’m kind of, maybe… sort of seeing someone.” He squeaks out. Pepper smiled widely, congratulating him. She tried to ask him something but Peter didn’t catch the question because Tony passed his daughter back to his wife and took the phone.

“Tony, hey!” Peter could hear Pepper complain, her laugh gave away that she wasn’t all that bothered.

“Tell me everything.” His pseudo-Dad demanded. Peter laughed but did. He told them that her name was Michelle and how they met on the wrong bus that Peter boarded. He told them how they had a class together and how amazing of a player she was. Tony wanted to tease, but Pepper gave him a look warning him. Peter mentioned how Michelle had two friends at the program she was close to, Tony noticed Peter make a face when he mentioned the name Harry, he made a mental note to question him about the guy later. Peter didn’t tell them about his issues with Harry. He didn’t want to worry them more than he already had. He also wanted them to like Michelle and not judge her for Harry’s actions. 

At the end of the call Peter asked them to relay a message to his Aunt for him, “Tell Aunt May to call me when she can. And tell Happy to keep his hands off her.” Peter only heard the laughs from the married couple before hanging up

***

Michelle was having a relatively quiet morning. She had a great night's sleep, which made getting up in the morning easier. Peter had also sent her a good morning text, which Betty teased her for, as if she hadn’t received a similar one from Ned. 

She and Betty got a quick breakfast in the lunchroom before making their way to their first class. As Michelle headed for her second class, an arm stopped her from behind. Harry stood there, asking to talk to her for a minute. Betty turned to her, silently asking if she wanted her to stay. Michelle shook her head, giving her the okay to head to their next class. Harry led them to an empty section of the hall, by the ping pong table. 

“Make it quick Harry, I don’t want to be late to class.” Michelle informed him. 

“Are the rumors true?” He asked, trying to read her facial expression, but Michelle was a master at schooling her facial expressions. She wasn’t giving anything away that easily.

“What rumors.”

Harry scoffed. “Don’t play dumb with me ‘Chelle. About you and Parker, are you two together?” Michelle tried not reacting to the old nickname. She knew there was no point in lying, he would only get angrier. Plus, Michelle didn’t want to lie, she was happy with how things were developing with Peter.

“Not that it’s anyone's business, but yes.  _ Peter _ and I are sort of together.” Emphasizing Peter’s name. Harry ignored it. 

“What do you mean sort of?”

“We’re talking. No official titles because, well, it’s new and we’re all leaving this place in less than two weeks. But we want to get to know each other. It helps that we actually don’t live that far away from each other.” Harry is obviously not happy to hear the news. He had hoped it had been a sick joke when Erik had mentioned how Yasmin had spotted the two kissing the night before. 

“I know you and I aren’t in the best terms Michelle, but please, listen. I’ve heard his parents paid for him to be here, practically  _ begging  _ to take him in. And have you seen the stuff he brought with him? He claims to be this humble kid from Queen’s but he had the newest Airpods and the Stark Phone 7? That’s not even out yet! How much of this guy do you really even know? You don’t need Parker, okay? You’re doing so great, and you can’t lose focus.”

Michelle’s anger from the night before resurfaces. “I know enough, okay? And who are you to judge, Harry? Your Dad is one of the richest guys in New York. And you are right, you and I are not on good terms right now, so instead of focusing so much on Peter and  _ my relationship _ , how about you focus on yourself and our friendship before it’s too late.” With that, Michelle goes to her class. 

_ Who the hell did he think he was? _ Michelle thought to herself.  _ Why is he so bothered by Peter? He hadn’t been this much of a dick when I dated Brad, why now? _


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter tells MJ the truth about his family.

**Chapter 13**

The day after their kiss, Peter was nervous to see Michelle again. What if she changed her mind? What if she regretted the kiss? He shook his head,  _ no, if she had, she would have told me by now _ . 

Michelle dusted all those negative thoughts away when she found him during lunch and sat down with him and his friends. Betty was with her, of course, taking the seat between her and Ned. Peter was happy to see her but wasn’t sure how to be around her. Would she be okay with him kissing her in front of their friends? Even if only on the cheek? Have an arm around her? Share fries? Before Peter spiraled, MJ took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers under the table. They shared a silent smile before joining the peanut butter debating going among their friends. 

Chemistry had been awkward at first, Peter was the first to arrive as usual. Harry came in after him, both teens ignoring each other. Peter was still unaware of what had happened between the two friends, so he was surprised when MJ came in and sat next to him instead of her friend.

“Hey,” She said, leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the lips. Peter blushed at the sudden PDA, but kissed back. 

“Hey, you ready for this quiz?” MJ shrugged, trying to look bothered but Peter noticed her fidgeting with her pen, giving her away. 

“Yes? I’ve been studying, but it's not the same without my tutor.” She glanced at him through her lashes. 

“Well, I think he’s willing to help you again, if that's what you want.” 

“I’d love that.” The quiz wasn’t as hard as either of them thought it would be. Michelle did miss being tutored by Peter, but she was able to stay afloat while they hadn’t talked. She did her best to ignore Harry, but it was hard with his constant stares and texts. If Peter noticed, he didn’t say anything, which she was grateful for. 

That weekend, the boys plus Michelle and Betty took a rare trip off campus, going to the nearest In N Out for dinner and Handel's ice cream parlor for dessert. Their classes were getting harder and practices were more intense, but moments like this with his friends made it all worth it. 

Being with Michelle was like thermodynamics. Michelle was solar energy and Peter the atoms, feeling excited and radiating energy that made him feel warm inside when around her. They both were not big on PDA, simply holding hands in public and the occasional cuddle around their friends. They would sneak off when they could to make out, but their friends always noticed and never failed to tease them about it.

When Pepper called to check in at the start of week five, Peter was happy to report that he was more than just fine. 

“You seem happy, Peter.” The CEO pointed out. “And just a heads up, your Aunt and Tony have noticed the presence of two girls in your instagram stories. You don’t have to tell us anything just yet, if you’re not ready. But I thought I’d give you a heads up. You know how those two can be.” Peter did know. 

As much as May and Tony would like to deny it, those two are very similar, especially when it came to anything Peter related. When he first got with his first girlfriend, he hadn’t told them immediately. It was new and Peter wanted to see how things went before mentioning anything, they had searched for her through social media. May constantly fretted over his clothes, constantly asking him to bring Liz over for dinner. Peter had to set a lock on FRIDAY to prevent Tony from doing a full blown background check. 

Considering they were in different parts of the world, Peter couldn’t stop Tony this time. He knew he would have to come clean sooner rather than later. But Peter was also nervous to come clean to MJ. Things with Liz went downhill quickly once he told her about his close relationship with Tony. Her Dad wasn’t a fan, and as much as Liz had tried to reassure Peter that it didn’t matter to her, her father’s hatred for Stark Industries had put a strain in the relationship. He wanted a chance with MJ, he  _ really _ liked her. But he knew how much she hates lies, and he didn’t want to risk losing something that was just starting. 

***

A few days later, after dinner, Peter had decided it was time to come clean to MJ.

They were in one of the lounges down the hall from his dorm; the boys and Betty playing Mario Kart. Peter had guided MJ to one of the couches in the back of the room. 

“As much as I like that face of yours, Parker, I’m not comfortable making out with our friends in the room.” MJ whispered to him as they sat. Peter’s ears go red, releasing a nervous chuckle. 

“No, t-that’s not. I’d hate to be  _ that _ couple too. I actually want to talk, to um, tell you something.” MJ’s brows knitted, she shifted closer. 

“What is it? Something wrong?” Peter’s eyes widened.

“Nothing terrible. Or, well, it depends on y-your reaction.”

“My reaction?” Peter slips out his phone, showing her his lock screen again. 

“Remember this photo? I told you about it, right?” MJ nods. He unlocks his phones, scrolling through his photos. “Well, I-I wasn't completely honest about me and how I knew Morgan.” Peter hands her his phone, showing her his internship pic with Tony.

Michelle stared at the picture for a few minutes, zooming in and out before finally speaking. “You work with Tony Stark?” He nods his head slowly. “How?”

“I won a few science fairs, got invited to present at a Stark Expo. That’s how Mr. & Mrs. Stark found me.” His phone slipped from her hands, her gaze turning from confusion to… anger?

“YOU!” She shouts, lifting an accusing finger at him. Their friends all turn at the sudden outburst. Peter leans back in his seat, his eyes wide. “Oh my god, it was you!”

“Me?”

“I came in third in third in the state-wide division!” Michelle pulled out her phone, scrolling through her Dad’s Facebook page. “Look.”

Peter takes her phone, glancing down at the picture. There were three kids in the picture, he spotted Michelle easily. She was the only girl in the picture, but to his shock, she was right. Thirteen-year-old Peter was on the other side of the first place winner. 

“That, that is so weird.” Peter said before he started to laugh, his sort-of-girlfriend joining. 

“They only invited the first and second placed winner to the next round.  _ I  _ should have moved on. Could have been  _ me _ getting that internship.” She teases. “So what? You became an intern and then…?”

“Well, I work specifically for Tony. I’m more like a personal assistant than an intern. I was nervous at first, scared I would mess up in front of my hero. But Tony made it easy, he really took me under his wing.” Peter explained how his relationship slowly developed between home and the Starks. How he and his aunt became part of their family.

“When Morgan was born… a thought for sure my time was up. That our relationship would turn back to a more formal one. But when they introduced me to her, they introduced me as her brother. And I knew then, that we were really a family. She calls me brother now. Or, well, budder and Petey since she’s only one.” Michelle smiles wide.

“That is literally the cutest shit I’ve heard.” Peter laughed, blushing a little.

“Yeah, she’s the best. I miss her.” 

He spends the rest of his night answering her questions, answering a few of the others' questions as well. By the end of the night, Peter feels closer to Michelle than before. 

***

The day before the tournament, Harry confronts Peter. He corners Peter as he exits the science building. He grabs him by his arm which Peter quickly pulls away, taking a few steps back. 

“What the hell man.” He shouts. Harry ignores him, taking a step closer. 

“If you ever,  _ ever _ hurt Michelle, I will make your life hell. Understand?” Peter nods. “Good. I only need one reason, Parker.  _ One _ .” Harry glares at him before storming off, making sure to bump his shoulder as he goes.

Peter makes it to the locker room, changing quickly to meet his friends on the field. Michelle is already at practice as he runs by, smirking as they make eye contact. He considers telling her about Harry, but seeing her happy, he decides not to mention anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Close to the end! Only three more to go after this! will Peter and the gang win the tournament?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ has a question for Peter.

**Chapter 14**

On the morning of the first day of the tournament, Peter wakes up feeling a mix of excitement and nervous. The gang meet up together for breakfast, the feeling of excitement spread across the school. 

“I can’t believe we’re in the last week of the program.” Abe said, between bites of his bagel. “I spend all year waiting for this and then it goes by like that!” He snapped his fingers in front of Flash, who shoved him away. 

“Ugh, you’re right. Going back home is going to suck but we can worry about that later. Today, we have to keep our head in the game.” Betty reminded them, gulping the rest of her orange juice. The boys go over play strategies, with Betty jumping in with advice every now and again. Peter stays quiet, instead enjoying the time with his friends. He gets distracted with a good luck text from May and the others. He feels a gentle nudge to his right, from Michelle. 

“You okay?” She asks. “Nervous?” Peter gives her a small smile, leaning forward to give her a quick peck. 

“I’m okay, promise. Excited actually. I’ve gone over the math and the extra practice with Abe has been helpful.”

“Yeah, they definitely have. I can’t wait to see you out there.” They finish their food and make their way for their first game. Michelle and Betty give their boys a kiss of good luck before going to the locker room, their first game starting sooner than the boys.

“We are so single.” Flash complained alongside Abe. Abe only rolled his eyes.

“Speak for yourself.” He retorted, glancing over to a girl who was across the room, giving her a wink. To all of their surprise, the girl winked back. 

“I hate you all.” 

***

The F team won their first game. Abe made two goals, another teammate, Jason made another goal. The final score was 3-1. Flash was the goalie and was able to block three shots. Ned gave Abe the assist for both goals and Peter was able to pass it to another teammate twice. 

Their second game was a 1-1 tie. They went into penalty kicks. Peter’s kick had been perfectly aimed, but the goalie had blocked it. The Final score was 4-2. 

Michelle and Betty’s games were 4-3 and 5-1. Michelle made most of the goals in each game. By the end of the day, all of the students are tired, but the school sets up a bonfire for them in hopes of maintaining morale.

Michelle and Betty arrive with the boys; Ned had an arm around Betty, whereas Peter and MJ were holding hands. Abe and Flash excuse themselves quickly; Abe goes over to the girl he had exchanged winks with in the morning and Flash goes towards the other singles from his team.

Peter and Ned tell the girls to find a spot for them while they get drinks for them. They’re in line by the coolers when Peter is suddenly pushed forward. 

“What the-”

“Oops, sorry Parker, didn’t see you there. Which is shocking considering no one could miss you in that pink hoodie.” Harry says, trying to provoke him. Peter translates his back on him, trying to ignore the snickers around him. He knows Harry is just trying to get a rise out of him, but he doesn’t want to give him that satisfaction. 

“What? Trying to ignore me now? Feeling all high and mighty for making it to the top four? Don’t get comfortable, you losers won’t make it much longer.”

“You sound stressed, Harry. You sure it’s not just your insecurity speaking? Scared of some competition.” Michelle says from behind both of them. Peter turns towards her, MJ walks over to him wrapping an arm around his torso. Both of them notice the way Harry’s nostrils flare. 

“They’re not competition.” He retorts. 

MJ snorts, “They’re literally competition. It’s a tournament, that’s a type of competition.”

Peter notices the crowd growing around them. Not wanting to cause any issues, he gives MJ a gentle squeeze to get her attention. “It’s okay, Em.” The pet name slipping out. “He’s just giving some friendly trash talk, right Harry?” Peter gives him a challenging look. 

The other boy only smirks. “Yeah,  _ Em _ . Parker here knows I’m just joking.” He punches Peter’s arm a little too hard but he doesn’t react. Ned hands them drinks, pulling them away from the area.

Michelle asks Peter to go walk by the shoreline with her. Flash whispers something to Peter before he leaves.

“Please Parker, I’m begging you, kick his ass for me.” Peter just laughs and walks away.

They sit near the shoreline, Michelle sits close enough to rest her head comfortably on his shoulder. They’re quiet for a while, just silently sipping their sodas and staring at the water. Michelle is the first one to break the silence. 

“I like you.” She says quietly. “Maybe more than I’m willing to admit. But enough to give this a try, long term.” Peter turns, causing her to lift her head and look at him. 

“Really?” He asks, looking into her eyes for any sign of deception, but only found sincerity. 

“Really. So Peter Benjamin Parker, do you want to be my boyfriend?” He gives her a wide smile, tugs her forward by a long, slow kiss. 

“So is that a yes?” He can feel her smile against his lips.

“It’s definitely yes.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final game results and Harry tries to get his revenge.

Chapter 15

At the start of the 2nd day of the tournament, Peter woke up excited and hopeful. He and the gang rushed to breakfast, eagerly going over different strategies. They were sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria when MJ and Betty found them.

“You boys excited?” Betty asked, taking a seat between Ned and Abe. MJ took the seat next to Peter on the end, across from her friend. Peter turned and kissed the side of her head. 

“Yes!” Abe said, leaning closer across the table to face the blonde. “We were going over some plays to focus on defense against Team C.” His friends and Betty started to brainstorm, Peter took the opportunity to turn to his girlfriend.

“How are you feeling?”

Michelle shrugged, “I’m excited, of course. But for games like this, when the pressure is on, I try to remind myself of the basics. I go over simple plays and blast my favorite songs before going out to the field. What about you?”

“I feel great! I’m really excited for today’s games.”

“Yeah, I think you guys have a real shot. You’ve already shown everyone that the F Team is more than capable of being good. This is the first time the F Team has even reached the finals.”

“I can’t take all the credit, everyone has been working hard.” Peter said, taking a sip of his milk to hide his blush.

“Everyone has worked hard, but because of you Peter.” She reaches down and takes hold of his hand, lacing their fingers. “You did what you do best, you treated this situation like an experiment. Observed and analyzed and found new ways to get the results you wanted. More importantly, you gave your team hope.” MJ leaned forward, giving him a quick peck. “I can’t wait to see what happens today.” 

Peter smiled back, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. “Thanks, hopefully I get to see your first game for a bit before ours starts.”

“Well if you two stopped giving each other heart eyes and actually ate your food, we could rush over to the field and not be late.” Betty teased, startling the couple. They had forgotten about their friends, who were all looking at them, smirking.

***

The boys did have time to go watch the girls play, but by the end of their first quarter, they had to run off to the locker room and get ready for their own game.

“Has anyone seen Megan Rapinoe?” One of their teammates asked as they changed in the locker room. “I heard she arrived not that long ago.”

“I saw her car pulling in but we probably won’t be able to see her until after this game.” Another responded.

“I want to get my ball signed.” Abe said. 

“For your sister?” Flash asked.

Abe scoffed, “No! For me, but I guess I should get something signed for my sis.”

“Alright everyone, gather around.” Couch Harrington shouted as he entered the locker room. “I want to start off by saying how proud I am of every single one of you. You have all improved so much this summer. Whatever happens today, I just want you all to know how proud I am to call myself your couch. Now let’s go out there and show Harold Academy what we’re made of!” The team cheers and run out towards the field.

As predicted, Team C was hard competition, but Team C still gave their all. It was a mostly tied game until the last five minutes, when a guy tripped Ned, giving them a penalty kick. The game ended with a final score of 5-4, moving them to the next game against Harry.

Michelle and Betty had rushed from their game to the boys, getting to watch the last half. When the final whistle blew, MJ spotted Harry in the back by the bleachers. She walked up to him unnoticed. “I guess the F Team is more competition that you gave them credit for.”

Her old friend turns to her, quickly morphing his surprised expression into a cold one. “Doesn’t matter how good they are against the other teams, they won’t get so lucky with us.” Michelle crosses her arms.

“What’s the big deal Harry. Why so much hate against them? Is it because Peter? Because of me?” The other boy doesn’t answer, only giving her one last look before storming off.

***

Before the final game, Peter and his team are in the locker room. Coach Harrington is giving a pep talk. Which somehow leads Peter into giving a pep talk.

“I think it's pretty well known that I was never meant to be here this summer.” Peter starts, earning a few laughs. “That, if I had only read a sign, I’d be in the sea doing experiments. But I’m not. I’m here, with you all and as mad as I was about it weeks ago, I’m so grateful to have met you all. We have worked our asses off and have proven to everyone out there that we are more than just ‘the worst of the best.’ That we can be just as good as the best. Whatever the final score is out there, just know I’m proud of the work we’ve done. Of all of you.”

“So let’s go out there and kick some ass!” Flash shouted, getting the whole team to shout with him.

They all started to exist when Peter’s phone chimed. He glanced down and saw a text from Tony.

“Peter, you coming?” Ned called. 

“In a second, I got a text from my family.” Peter watched the video his family sent, wishing him good luck. He sent them a quick response before gathering his items, placing them into his locker. As he closed the metal door, he heard the main locker room door slam shut.

He rushed over, reaching for the handle but found it locked. “Hello?” he shouted, knocking on the door. “Hey, someone is still in here!” But he got no response. Now panicking, Peter slammed on the door harder. “Hey! Let me out!”

***

MJ’s game had ended just as the boys for the final game started to make their way to the field. She rushed over wit Betty, quickly finding a spot near the front of the stands. They spot their friends easily, but there’s no Peter.

“Do you see Peter?” She asked her friend, who shook her head.

“No, hes not on the field or the bench.” The two girls keep glancing around the field, but no luck.  _ Where is he? _

As the start time got closer, MJ’s worry grew. She walks down towards the field, waving Ned over.

“Hey, where’s Peter?” She asks the other boy. 

“I don’t know. He said he was going to come right out after talking to his family, but he hasn’t shown up. If he’s not out here soon they’re going to be disqualified from the game.” They exchange worried glances before Ned is called back to the field. Michelle is about to make her way back to Betty when she spots Harry rushing by, a smirk on his face. She turns towards the direction he appeared from, the locker room. The feeling in her stomach aches, warning her of what her friend could be responsible for. 

“Fuck.” She mumbles, quickly running towards the locker room as the announcer states that the game will be starting in three minutes.

She’s only a few feet away from the main door of the boys locker room when she hears someone shouting. “Is anyone out there? Please, open the door!” 

“Peter?” She calls out, the pounding stops.

“Em? Em! Oh thank god, I- someone locked the door. I can’t get out.”

“We need the key, is it in there?” Peter looks around, but finds nothing.

“No, it should be on the board by the door out there.” Michelle glances at the board but sees the hook labeled ‘locker room’ empty. 

“It’s not here either.” Peter curses. “You look around there, I search here, hurry, we don’t have much time.” They search everywhere but have no luck. Michelle can hear the announcer call the one minute mark. 

“Peter, I’m going to have to try and break down the door.” She calls out.

“What? Michelle, no. You’ll just hurt yourself.” But she doesn’t listen, she takes a few steps back and slams her shoulder against the door. The door doesn’t budge, but MJ ends up falling back towards the towels behind her.

“MJ? Are you okay?” Peter shouts, leaning against the door to try and hear her.

“I’m fine!” She winces out, she tosses a fallen towel aside and hears a familiar clink hit the ground. Grabbing the key, she quickly goes to open the door. Peter rushes out, racing down the hall before stopping and running back to her.

“Thanks.” He says, pulling her in for a quick kiss before running back down the hall, making it on to the field just as they finish singing the anthem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, these last two chapter were hard to work on because I I knew how I wanted to end but everything I was writing just didn't seem right. So I had a small writers block and there were many re-writes lol.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final games happen, and Peter's summer comes to an end.

**Chapter 16**

Peter is on the bench for most of the game, which he is okay with. It gives him time to calm down from the panic he was in from being locked in the locker room and almost being disqualified. The A Team makes a goal within the first five minutes, which Karry and his teammates gladly scream about. But Team F doesn’t give up easily, Abe evens out the score before the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter is intense, but neither team gets a shot in. By the end of the third quarter, Peter is at the edge of his seat. He has his eyes trained on Flash as he jumps for a header, when Harry jumps from behind him, knocking the boy down hard. Peter and coach Harrington stand up as the referee blows his whistle. They wait for the all clear before running onto the field. “I’m fine.” Flash says through clenched teeth, but winces when he tries to stand. 

“You’re not. I’m switching you out. Peter, you’re in.”

Peter’s eyes go wide but he nods. The referee passes him the ball. The game continues and Peter does his best to be close enough to pass the ball to open teammates. They’re down to the last five minutes of the game when the ball gets passed to him, a clear path ahead of him.

“Run Peter!” Abe calls after him. Peter quickly dribbles the ball down the field, passing the ball towards Abe again, who gives a hard kick, making the winning goal.

***

“The spirit of sportsmanship and love of soccer has been wonderful to see. Congratulations to all the teams that participated in the competition. And the winner of the tournament is… Harold Soccer Academy F Team!” Megan Rapino called out, the crown cheering out loud. Abe walks forward to receive the award, shaking Megan’s hand. “Great job out there.”

The team gathers for pictures, all but Abe (who holds the trophy) holding up their medal with wide grins.

Peter is making his way towards the main area when he bumps into Harry. He kept his gaze forward, ignoring the other boy.

“Parker, hey, wait up.” Peter stops, but doesn’t turn, waiting for the other teen to catch up to him.

“What is it Harry?” He says, crossing his arms.

“I just… listen, you and your team, you guys did great out there today. So I just wanted to congratulate you.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you were… right… the science you used with your team, it actually worked. So congrats.”

“Thanks.” Harry nods, taking a step back.

“I guess I should get going then.”

“Harry, wait.” The older teen stopped, turning back to him. “Why? Why do you have such a problem with me? Is this really about Michelle? Because I really care about her. I know how important soccer is to her, and I would never want to stand in the way of her goals.”

“MJ and I… we’ve been friends for years. I was just… scared that you would get in the way of that. She’s been there for so many parts of my life. We’ve both worked so hard to reach our goal of getting scouted for college. But instead, I fucked it up.  _ I’m _ the reason she won’t talk to me. But my feelings for her are not romantic. I know what other people think, but Michelle and I are really just friends. She’s like my little sister, and the thought of losing her… I- I was a dick and I’m sorry. I know you’re good for her, practically perfect really. I guess that’s what made it so real, just how good you two are together.”

Peter was shocked, not sure what to say. He glances up at the other boy, taking in his facial expression, trying to spot any lies but only sees sincerity. “Harry… I- I don’t want to take her. I’m not  _ taking _ her. I like her, a lot. But I don’t want you two to stop being friends. I know how much you mean to her, she loves you too. Just, talk to her. I know she misses you.”

“Thanks Park- Peter. Thank you, Peter.” Peter opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it again, trying to find the right words. After a second of silence, Peter finally finds the courage to fully turn to the other boy.

“Do you want to join us? The whole team is planning to go out and eat. MJ and Betty’s team is coming too.”

Harry takes a second to think it over, before nodding.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

***

The two teams, plus Harry, decide to celebrate with In-N-Out. They all got their food and headed for one last bonfire at the beach. MJ had finished her burger and was sneaking fries from Peter, dipping them into her vanilla shake when Harry approaches her.

“Hey,” Her old friend said. “Can we talk?” She glances over to Peter, who gives her a reassuring smile. 

“Sure.”

They go a few feet away from the group before taking a seat on the sand. They sit in silence before Harry finally breaks it.

“Listen, Michelle, I know I have done a lot of fucked up things before, and you really don’t have to accept this, but I want to apologize. Not just about Peter, which I am, sorry. But I’m also sorry for going behind your back about the recruiters. I- It’s not that you aren’t good enough, because you are. You are one of the best soccer players I know. I just- I didn’t want to risk anyone overlooking you. It’s dumb I know but-”

“Harry.” Michelle says, cutting him off. “I understand.”

Harry’s eyebrows go up, shocked. “You do?”

“I get why, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.” She shifts in her spot, turning to face him. “I’m scared too, okay? But it still hurt that you didn’t trust me.” Harry hung his head, his gaze on his hands as he played with the sand. 

“Your attitude towards Peter didn’t help.” She continued, her voice laced with a slight tease. Harry throws his head back in mock frustration, causing a laugh from his friend.

“I know, I know. But I already apologized to your boyfriend. He uh, he’s the one who encouraged me to talk to you. I guess he’s not  _ so _ bad.”

Michelle pulls her legs close, resting her chin on her knees, hiding her blush. “Yeah, I know.”

***

Peter was the last one to leave his dorm, rushing down the hall towards the buses. He reaches his friends just as Ned handed over his last bag to the bus driver to store.

“Make sure to read all the signs Pete, don’t want to get on the wrong bus again.” Abe teased, reaching out to him to help to take his bag to pass to the driver. 

Peter rolls his eyes. “Trust me, I plan to read  _ every _ sign from now on.” He pulls out his phone from his back pocket. “What do you guys say, one last picture before we go?” The four boys gather close together for the picture, making sure to get the view of the school building in the back. Abe’s phone beeps, catching their attention.

“Your dad?” Flash asked, glancing at the phone. 

Abe nods, typing out a quick reply. “Yeah, they’re close, so I have to head over to my usual pick up spot.” He pulls each boy in for a hug, before waving goodbye to them.

“I guess we should get on the bus, I want to try and get a window seat.” Peter said, following Ned up to the steps.

“Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Flash said, patting his shoulder before nodding towards the right side of the bus once inside. Peter looked over and saw Michelle in a seat, her backpack resting on the seat next to her. He smiled wide, quickly trying to get to her.

“Hey, you made it.” MJ said, once she spotted him. She leaned back, making room for him to slide over.

“Yeah, and you saved me a seat.” he teased, bumping his shoulder with hers. She bumped back. 

“Yeah well, whatever.” Peter laughed before turning behind him to talk to Ned.

***

They arrive at LAX a few hours a later, all the teens slowly moving their way out to grab their bags. Peter and his friends were the last to get off. Betty spots a crowd forming a few feet away from them. 

“Wonder what that’s about.” She questioned. 

“Well, we’re in LAX, wouldn’t be surprised if it was a celebrity.” Michelle suggested, also trying to crane her neck to get a glimpse. 

“Awesome! Do you think we have time to go see?” Ned asked, already grabbing his bags to walk over. 

“We don’t need to, whoever it is, is walking over. Look.” Flash pointed out. Sure enough, the small crowd opened up a little, making room for the people to walk their way. 

Peter focused on grabbing his bag, not really interested in what celebrity it would be. He had just pulled his suitcase towards him when he heard Ned gasp next to him. 

“Oh my god!” Peter felt Michelle grab his arm next. 

“Peter…” She said, tugging at his shirt. Confused, he looks up at her before turning to what she was looking at. Standing a few feet behind him was his family. 

“Aunt May…” He whispered at first, not believing his eyes. 

“Hey kid.” Tony said, smirking at him. Hearing his mentor’s voice finally snapped him back to reality. Peter dropped his bag and ran up to his family. He hugs his aunt first, before blindingly reaching out towards Tony and Pepper. He hugs them tight before taking a step back, wiping his tears with his sleeve.

“W-what are you guys doing here? How?” Morgan, who had been held by Pepper, began to whine and reach out for her brother. Peter subconsciously reached out for her too, hugging her close once she was passed to him. 

“We were able to finish a few meetings early and one company cancelled so we decided to fly here and spend a week together in LA. A little family vacation, all of us this time.” Tony explained. Peter glanced around, noticing that more people had gathered around them.

“But…” He tried, feeling very self-conscious, glancing around. Pepper picked up on his discomfort. 

“Don’t worry about the public.” She said. “I know we agreed to wait until you were older, but we spoke about it with May and…” The CEO turned to her best friend, who took over the explanation.

“I’m still against you attending any SI events and stuff. But I think we can handle you getting pictured with your family.”

“Enough about technicalities, looks like there are some people you need to introduce to us.” Tony said, smirking as he pulled off his glasses. “Especially a girl named Michelle Jones.”

Peter laughed, unable to hide his blush. He turned to his friends, who had obviously been listening in. He introduces his friends and MJ to his family. Flash gets his autographs (they all do). Tony offers Michelle a ride on the private jet, but she declines. 

“I’m traveling with a friend, but thank you.” After a lot of convincing, Michelle agreed to letting Harry upgrade her to first class. They also agreed that they still had some things to work over before they could really move on and be best friends again. 

“Well, we hope to see you again soon Michelle.”

Peter pulls her in for a kiss goodbye, blushing as his family aww’s from behind them. They pull away, smiling wide, the foreheads pressed together.

“I’m so sorry about them.” He whispered.

Michelle only giggled. “It’s okay, I think it’s cute.” She gave him one last peck before turning to head over towards a waiting Harry.

Tony immediately recognizes the teen. “Isn’t that Osborn’s kid?” He asked his wife.

“Yeah, looks like it.” Tony bumps his shoulder against Peter.

“I get why you two didn’t get along.” He snorts as Pepper scolds him.

“So, I guess taking the wrong bus and ending up at a sport camp wasn’t so bad, huh kid.” Tony teases. Peter smiled, waving back to his friends as they made their way inside the airport.

“Yeah, not so bad after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read and left kudos and comments!! This is my 2nd story posted on AO3, but the third work to finish. Please check out my other work if you have time (one SPN one-shot and a short multi-fic Love, Victor story)!
> 
> Thank you all again!!


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